What a new beggining really means
by PrettyVchan
Summary: Darien comes back to the city he grew up after his father's death. He'll have to deal with a whole new life.  Falling in love, getting hurt, learning to live. A/U D/S  Rated M just in case.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: What a new beginning really means**

**Author: PrettyVchan**

**Summary: Darien is a young man coming back from Europe to finish his last year in med school because of his father's sudden death. He's the only heir of a fortune. He meets people who will change his world. Will he taste the real world for once? The real love?**

_**.:: Hey guys, this is my second fanfic. I hope you guys enjoy. It's fairly different from the first one since this one is A/U. Please make sure check out my fic "In Joy and Sorrow". **_

_**Hope you enjoy my story ::.**_

Chapter 1 – The return

Four years went by since the last time Darien had set his eyes on that city. He had left the country to study in Europe and ended up having a great time abroad. He needed to be away because he couldn't stand to be living under his father's rules any longer. Now his father was dead and he was back to deal with the problems everyone has to deal with when their family members pass away.

It felt somewhat weird to be back to that atmosphere. Things seemed to be so different and he felt intensely scared of what life could be saving up for him.

Staying at his parent's old house seemed too much to bear at that point. His best friend Andrew who he had met at the age of 5 – a little before his mom passed away – offered to have him as his guest for as long as he needed. He felt extremely grateful for having someone like his friend in his life and both men talked for a while when he got at Andrew's place. It wasn't nothing compared to his parent's house or his own huge apartment in London but it was cozy and he felt like he was home for the first time in a really long time.

After a really long day spent mostly dealing with lawyers and hearing about his father's will, Darien, tired and hungry, headed to his friend's little dining place downtown.

He thought about the time in high school that both boys would hang out at this little Arcade, flirting with girls and playing videogames. He remembered Andrew telling him that he would own a place that would be both "fun and exciting" and with "delicious burgers". Andrew swore that he would open his own food business and never have to eat anything but fries and burgers for as long as he lived.

Darien opened the door to the little place to find it was very much as what Andrew had said in the past. It had a 50's look but with some modern videogames spread through the place so people could have fun and eat delicious meals. He distinguished his smiley friend among a few girls and they all seemed to be having a lot of fun while eating – guess what? – Burgers and milkshakes.

"Oh, you're early!" His blonde friend said, noticing he was approaching the group. "I'm glad! Now you can meet everyone!"

"Hello" Said Darien timidly.

A bunch of pairs of eyes looked at him curiously, trying to know who that man was.

"Well, let's see" Said Andrew "This is my friend Darien, you guys… he is my best friends since elementary school but he was living abroad. This is my friend Lita, she works here part time as a cook. She's good!" and he pointed to a very tall girl with beautiful green eyes who smiled gently.

"Thanks Andy" Smiled Lita eyeing Andrew and blushing lightly.

"I am Mina!" A very well dressed blonde girl announced "Nice to meet you! Andy's friends are all so pretty… I mean…so cool!" Lita and Mina both giggled.

"And this one here is Amy"

"Nice to meet you, Darien. We met before actually, my mom used to work with your dad."

"Oh, interesting. I'm sorry, I don't remember you, it's been so long…Still, it's very good to meet you, ladies," he confessed, smiling broadly. 'They seem lovely' he thought.

"So, where is 'abroad'?" Asked a curious Mina "I mean… where did you live and…you know what I meant"

Andrew laughed, looking at Mina with some warm expression.

"I sure do. Well, at first I spent a year in Germany, but then I moved to London. I was attending to medical school. I mean, I still am…I just happened to transfer to the University here for my last year."

"Uhh, a doctor! That's exciting, isn't it Amy?" Mina elbowed her friend

"It truly is! I myself am starting my first year of Medical School."

"Oh, that's nice. You look young to be in Medical School, though."

"I know I skipped some grades in High School." Amy said looking almost embarrassed.

"She's our little genius" Lita said proudly.

"So, life is definitely treating you well, my friend. Surrounded by beautiful and intelligent young girls. Very graceful too…"

Andrew blushed and was about to reply when they heard to loud voices coming through the door.

All the heads turned to watch two girls, a blonde and a brunette, getting inside the place screaming at each other.

"Serena you IDIOT, I can't BELIEVE you forgot we had said 6 p.m. not 7! YOU'RE SO STUPID"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING STUPID? YOU'RE SO RUDE!" cried the blonde

"THE ONLY STUPID PERSON I SEE IN THIS PLACE! YOU, MORON!" Said the fuming brunette.

"Serena, Raye…I'm glad you guys are here" Andrew was obviously trying to distract

"I am sorry Andy, I was coming earlier but this little freak here took 800 hours to get dressed." Replied the brunette trying to calm herself down.

The blonde was fuming, seeming like she was about to bite someone's head off and for a while Darien couldn't take his eyes from her. She was very cute. A petite girl, with beautiful and long blonde hair and mesmerizing blue eyes. He knew her from somewhere…

She noticed the man looking at her.

"What?" Asked her, irritated.

"Oh…huh…Serena, Raye, I wanted you to meed my friend Darien. I mean, Serena, you already know him, I don't know if you'll remember."

'Darien?' She thought trying to remember

"Alright!" He said out loud 'I know her! She's that annoying little brat I used to make fun of' he thought to himself. He smirked. "Hello Meatball Head! Long time no see"

'Meatball Head' – these words made her recall who that guy was. She remembered now. Years ago, when she was just a little middle school girl, she and her friends Amy and Molly would hangout at this Arcade. There they met Andrew who became like an older brother to her and also met that unbearable rich kid who would rarely smile and would act like he was superior. For some reason he thought it was really funny to make fun of her and he wouldn't leave her alone when they ran into each other. That lasted until sometime during High School when she heard he left the country to go to college. She never heard of him after that except things that Andrew would say occasionally.

She was very surprised to see that handsome man in front of her and recognize he was her childhood enemy. Not that she would built up resentment towards him for some childhood immaturity but that made her curious to know if he was still the same spoiled jerk.

"I have a name, you know?" She said simply.

"And may I know your name?"

"Serena Tsukino"

"Isn't that Japanese for 'Meatball Head'?" Everyone laughed. Serena looked at him furious.

"Haven't you changed a tiny bit? How immature."

"I don't know if I have. You on the other hand…look very different. What happened to your meatballs?"

"I ate them"

'Snap!' He thought 'She is fierce.'

"Well, meatball head her may have changed the hairstyle, but surely hasn't change anything else. I'm Raye Hino, it's a pleasure to meet you."

His eyes shifted from the angry blonde to her friend. A gorgeous looking young woman with beautiful silky black hair and wonderful eyes that looked almost lavender coloured. She smiled wreathledly.

"It is wonderful to meet you" He said, kissing her left hand which made her blush and look even more attractive to him. "I am Darien Shields."

"Shields?" Shouted Mina "Oh wow! So you're the heir…" She wanted to say it to herself but everyone else heard. He knew his name was all around the papers and the news since he was, in fact, the heir of the biggest fortune in that city. Mina blushed violently and mumbled some apology. Andrew held his breath. He knew how much Darien didn't appreciate being known as a rich man.

Darien sighted and looked away from the group getting caught up on his toughts. For some reason, being around these people was making him happy but somewhat uncomfortable. He wasn't used to being around people who knew who his father was and especially now that his father was dead he didn't feel like talking about it.

They all stood there in silence until something caught up Darien's attention. Someone didn't seem to be aware of the tension in the room and was too busy playing a video game to notice anything else. 'She hasn't changed at all.' He thought half smiling.

As everyone seemed to go back to their normal activities, Darien sat on a stool, by Amy, and asked Andrew if there was anything there he could eat. He was starving.

He noticed eyes on him and caught Raye observing. He smiled to her and she smiled back, but looked down. He thought that was very cute.

"So, Raye, are you a medical student as well?"

"Who? Raye?" Serena interfered, laughing.

"Shut up, loser. I could be whatever I wanted cause I am smart."

"Yeah, right!"

"You on the other hand… should just give up on school and become a thief, maybe you'll be rich if you do that, since the only thing you know how to do besides eating anything you see is to run fast to get in class!" Serena looked defetead and went back to her game "Well." She looked away from Serena, straight into Darien's eyes, blushing. "I majoring on business and my minor's on acting."

"That is very interesting." He said gently. "How about you, Meatball Head? And yes, Mina and Lita, I'm sorry, I meant to ask you girls as well"

"I'm going to school for Producing, that's my major. My minor's also acting" Smiled Mina

"I'm studying to become a chef." Said Lita, bringing his food and cleaning up the girls' messes.

Serena ignored his question.

"What about Meatball?"

She didn't answered again. Was she deaf or something?

"She's…uhm… going to school for journalism" Amy responded timidly.

"Oh Thanks Amy, but I appreciate you not talking about my personal life to weirdos 'round town." She said eyeing the handsome Darien who grinned.

Mina stood up and begun to straight her dress.

"It was great meeting you, Darien, but I gotta go now. I have a date soon. Does anyone need a ride?"

"I do, I do!" Said Meatball…I mean, Serena.

"I do too! I have to study!" Said Amy

"Let's go, peeps!"

"Wait Serena, you just got here! You all should stay. Why don't you all stay?" He said it quickly

"I am tireeed! I just came here because you asked me too and I though we were going to meet your "awesome" friend, but you brought a "lame" one instead so I gotta go, I have other stuff to do!"

"And I've got a date!" Mina winked. Andrew didn't seem to like that, Darien observed.

The three girls left.

The rest of the evening was very pleasant to Darien. He talked to the beautiful Raye for hours, becoming really found of the intense girl. She was fiery and interesting. He also observed the way Lita acted towards Andrew, treating him with extra kindness and he was right: her food was delicious. The four of them said their goodbyes when the place closed and Darien got Raye's phone number. He was excited about the people he met today.

One thing he still worried him: the idea of going back to his parent's house and having to face the past.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: What a new beginning really means**

**Author: PrettyVchan**

_**.:: Hey guys, this is my second fanfic. I hope you guys enjoy. It's fairly different from the first one since this one is A/U. Please make sure check out my fic "In Joy and Sorrow". **_

_**Hope you enjoy my story ::.**_

Chapter 2 – New contact

Darien was 6 years of age when his mother passed away in a car accident. The little boy was very attached to his mama spending every waken moment by her side. She used to call him her "Little Prince" and he was in fact treated as one. She would not let anyone touch her baby boy.

His life after her death changed drastically. His father wasn't around at all to watch his only son growing up. He had no extended family around, that he was aware of, only some aunts and cousins living in Europe. His father demanded respect and good behavior above all things and forced his son into a very strict discipline with hours of study and a little time to spare having fun. His father didn't like most of his friends other than Andrew – in fact, the old man didn't seem to like anyone very much and kept his heart closed to other women which Darien was somewhat thankful for. He wouldn't be able to deal with some skank trying to be his mother.

Darien learned fast what being a grown up meant and by the age of 16 he was already working not because he needed to support himself financially but because he wanted to be out of the prison his life was. His father didn't know about the fact his only son and heir of a fortune was working in a hotel cleaning bathrooms and making beds. It was only when he got into college that his father found out and he had immediately forbidden his son to work outside.

The young man then decided it was time for him to leave for college in Europe, leaving his dad heartbroken and alone. He was far too young to understand that his father suffered a great deal from his wife's death and became what he was because he was clueless of how to be a father.

The two didn't speak to each other for months after he left and when they finally did both seemed to agree – without admitting to each other – that they had nothing in common. They spoke a few times a year.

A few months ago, Darien got a phone call from a man telling him his father had passed away due to severe cirrhosis – his father had a drinking problem after all, what had turned him into an aggressive and unhappy man. It was the very beginning of his last school year so he had time to drop out of school, rent his apartment, quit his job and enroll into a school back in his hometown. Apparently, his dad has left a mess and he would have to spend a long time working on solving his problems.

As for his life outside his conflict with his dad, he tried to keep as normal as he could, although he had nothing ordinary about himself. Since a very young age he was perceived as very attractive to girls due to his great looks, deep voice and excellent manners. He was very quiet and polite. He and his best friend formed quite a duo. Andrew was blonde, had beautiful green eyes and was always happy and ready to entertain people. Darien had a very dark black hair, intense dark blue eyes and was very tall. He would be the quiet one, just observing, and would talk only to be sarcastic or a smart-ass. Still, he managed to make people like him, because he could be very sweet and amicable. He had made one enemy in his entire life. A girl.

The first time they met each other he was 15 and she was 11. Andrew and her would hang out at the Arcade playing video games; apparently he was her baby sitter or something like that. Many times Darien met the little girl either over at Andrew's or at the Arcade, the park, around the city. She and Andrew seemed to have bonded easily and he would protect her like an older brother. Darien didn't care at all about the young girl and until she reached the age of 13 they would barely talk. The older she'd get, the more she would cry. She could get in his nerves. She used to wear a really interesting hairstyle that he'd named: "the Meatball head hairstyle". He found himself having a lot of fun making the young girl cry and storm off of wherever she was when he'd pick on her. When he left, he didn't think much about her so he was very surprised with what he saw at the diner place. He found her to be very interesting and gorgeous looking; something he never thought would happen to her.

His life in Europe was intense. He would study hard every single day. He got a job at a nightclub and got heavily into drinking and partying. Still, he got an internship in an amazing Hospital and was one of the best students in the England.

He had never had a girlfriend. Not a real one. He had bedded some girls he thought were interesting. He would get infatuated for a few weeks but would get easily bored. His longest relationship lasted a month because the girl was psycho enough that he was actually scared to break up with her. Still, he wasn't a womanizer. He would not try to seduce as many girls as he could and he dated girls he really wanted.

Lying in his bed, at Andrew's apartment, he thought about the beautiful Raye and even though he was not looking for a relationship he thought she seemed too good to be wasted. He most definitely had to call her and ask her out, something he would do right after he was done with school tomorrow. And then he thought about school and felt some sort of nervousness. Not that we as scared of failing, but he was most definitely scared of the people who most certainly would judge him for his father.

'They'll think I'm where I am because of my position, not because of my own hard work." He thought to himself.

He tried to put these thoughts aside and tried his hard to fall asleep.

His dreams were full of darkness and he woke up several times. He had dreamt about his mother dying and about being rejected. It was very blurry and confusing. As his dreams had always been.

….

Serena and her friends attended to the same school, except for Amy.

Initially, Amy and Serena had become friends in middle school where she'd also met Lita. They were really close as well as their friend Molly, who lived out of town currently. Lita had met Mina sometime in High School and they became like sisters to one another. Serena and Mina had have bonded as well, in a really deep level, since they were pretty similar in many ways and looked somewhat alike. Raye attended to an all girl school her whole life and came to the picture during college. They all became good friends and when Raye wanted to move out of her house with her grandfather, she thought it was a good idea to move in with her friends Mina and Serena. Serena had known they would fight even more than they naturally did, would most certainly think twice before moving in with Raye. They were really different people and didn't seem to agree with a lot of things. Raye would behave like she was her mother even if she was only a year older than Serena and that really could get into her friend's nerves. Still, despite of Raye's anger issues they had a close relationship and really liked each other even if they only demonstrated that when something was wrong.

The five of them, along with Andrew and Molly (when she was around) were like a close family, never seeming to get tired of each other. It was part of the routine for them to have both lunch and dinner together almost everyday. Amy and Lita would be over at the other girl's apartment all the time and they had no secrets to each other - at least, most of them thought so.

Serena felt, sometimes, like she didn't really belong to the group. It was a kind of irrational feeling since she never shared this thought to anyone and therefore never had a chance to really confirm her suspicions. The truth is that, being known a very funny and outgoing person; she would hide her true feelings and fears and never expose them. She felt very lonely around everyone because she would never let her guard down. In that way she and Raye had a lot in common even though no one realized that: Raye would act angry and annoyed so people wouldn't get too close for her comfort; Serena would act lovely and silly so people would think they were really close, but they weren't in fact.

Still, lately, she was dealing with a lot more than people thought so and that made her isolate from the group. She and Raye were fighting more than usual, and she was avoiding Mina because she felt like she wasn't able to talk to anyone, even her best friends. She never really acted like this before. Sure she would keep a lot to herself, but she would usually make an effort to hang out with people and try not to think about her problems.

….

A new day started and it was a big day for Darien since it was his first day in school back in his hometown after four years. He couldn't help to wonder whether he would meet some childhood acquaintances again and if they would remember him.

The morning went on smoothly and he was very surprised with the amount of people who not only recognized him but also actually greeted him. Most of these people said they were sorry about his father passing away and seemed very interested in talking about his family, which he certainly didn't appreciate.

He left class and thought of what he should do next since he didn't actually needed to be anywhere at that moment and thought about calling Raye and asking her out for dinner. As he walked to the school's exit he saw a girl he would recognize from a distance due to her unusual hair color.

"Hey, Amy!" He greeted, getting closer to the girl. She seemed surprised to hear her name and looked back to see who was calling her out.

"Oh! Hi Darien! Good to see you!"

"It's good to see you too. So, we're going to the same school…"

"So we are! That's good!" She smiled shyly

He grinned. "Did you have a nice day?"

"It was great!" She said, excited "We had the best lecture about fungus related diseases, it was very interesting!"

"It seems like it" He wasn't as excited as she was, of course. "Look, where are you heading to?"

"Well, I have to get lunch and then I'll go to the Hospital where I work as an intern at… you know, the Starlight Hospital"

"No kidding, huh? I start to work there next Monday"

"That's is great! You must be really smart, they only hire like the best people!"

"I bet, if you work there" He winked

Amy blushed furiously when she realized how cocky she sounded.

"I-I mean…it's only an internship and…I got lucky…and" She seemed to be really embarrassed making Darien laugh.

"You're entitled to think you're smart if you really are Amy, no biggie. Would you like to have lunch with me?" He hoped she said yes, since he didn't have company that day.

"I am going to have lunch at Andrew's restaurant, if you want to join me… I mean, I already told the girls I would come and I guess they wouldn't mind if you came along."

"That'd be great, thanks for inviting me," He said honestly.

The both walked to Andrew's talking during the whole way there. Amy seemed to be a great company, since she was calm and quiet but very smart and had a personality beneath her frail and shy exterior. She knew a lot about a lot which was very appealing to Darien and he felt like they could be good friends.

Amy wasn't sure of how to behave around Darien since she didn't know how to act around boys. Andrew was her only male close friend and still they weren't very close. Anyway, she found the man to be very interesting, not only beautiful, but a very intelligent person and that made her feel happy. He was the first person in school that came to talk to her and she felt glad she had a friend outside her usual group of peers.

They got at Andrew's before everyone else did and sat at a big booth. Andrew came to talk to them and get the orders ready and soon enough Serena, Mina, Lita and Raye got there. They were all surprise to see Darien but Raye seemed to be happy and even behave like a delicate person for once in her life.

They had a fun time together. Darien had time to learn a lot about the girls. Andrew joined the group after making sure their food was ready and they all talked for a long time. Amy was the first to leave, because she had to work. Lita started her shift immediately, freeing Andrew for the afternoon. Mina and Andrew talked animatedly about going out to some club or something while Darien and Raye talked about music.

Serena, he noticed, seemed to be out of it. Since she got there, she barely responded to his teasing and although she tried to fake some smiles and talked some nonsense occasionally, she seemed to be caught up on her own thoughts.

"Hey, Meatball, is that something up with you today?"

"What?" She asked, more like she was taking time to sync the question in. "Oh, no it's nothing, really"

"She's like that because she got another C- as usual. Give her like 15 minutes and tons of sugar and she should be fine" Said Raye dismissively, which Darien thought, was a little bit uncalled for since Serena actually seemed upset.

"Is that true?" He asked, seriously

"C'mon, are you also going to tell me I am stupid and retarded? I don't need that, okay? Keep your mouth shut."

"You know Meatball…" He drawled "I won't take this personally because I can tell you're disturbed, but I would never call you stupid or retarded, I just want to know what's going on with you, know if I can be helpful in any way"

She blushed to the idea of him caring for her but then dismissed the thought, after all, why would he care anyway?

"It wouldn't be the first time you've insulted me"

"Yeah, but I am not going to insult you anymore, so tell me, what's wrong."

Raye felt uncomfortable with the way he seemed to be so worried with Serena.

"Yeah, Serena let us help you." She said, not really knowing if she meant it or not.

"Huh, since when do you care Raye?"

It was Raye's time to blush.

"Well, yeah, I got another C-, Darien… and I'm really bummed out by that and I feel kind of terrible." Serena confessed, looking down. He felt sorry for the girl.

"Why do you feel terrible? It's not like it's your first time getting a C-!" Raye interfered, annoyed.

"You know what? Screw this! Fuck you, Raye! I don't know why I've humiliated myself by talking to you guys!" She screamed, getting up, and leaving, finally getting Andrew and Mina to pay attention in something other them themselves.

"What just happened?" Asked Mina

"Oh nothing really, just Serena being childish as usual." Raye responded, not seeming interested.

Darien was a bit shocked with what just happened. He almost gave up on the idea of going out with Raye after the way she'd treated Serena. He withdrew for a while during the rest of their time together but didn't know how to say 'no' when Raye herself asked him if he wanted to have dinner and watch a movie that evening.

He tried not to think of Raye's relationship with Serena, they might have their reasons to act like this to each other, he thought. Raye was in fact very sweet towards himself and the other girls and he really didn't have anything better to do.

…..

Darien got to the girl's apartment exactly at the time he and Raye had set up. He found himself really anxious with that date, more than he usually would get. He took a few breaths before knocking on the door. He heard steps and soon someone opened the door. He was a little surprise to see it was Serena.

She looked adorable with her oversized pink sweater, hair held in a messy bun and grey leggings. He notice how small she was and thought to himself he would like to hold her. That thought felt weird since he was going out with her roommate.

She was holding a teacup and seemed like she had been napping.

"Oh, you!" She said, not really excited.

"Hey… is Raye ready?" He really wanted to leave soon because for some reason Serena's presence seemed to overwhelm him.

"She's upstairs changing, she asked me to tell you she would be here soon and you can make yourself at home" She said it quickly, clearly repeating what Raye had said. "Come in, you can watch TV if you want or whatever." She walked back to the apartment and sat at the couch. Darien walked slowly, observing the place. It was a girl's apartment all right. Fairly organized, girly decoration and lots of flowers spread around. He sat down at the couch, not very close to Serena.

She seemed depressed still, sitting at the couch and clearly uncomfortable with his presence.

"So, you guys are going out, huh? Sounds like fun," She said after a few minutes of awkward silence between them.

"Yeah… we're going to the movies and then have dinner somewhere."

"That's nice" She smiled a bit.

"Serena… About earlier today… I'm sorry you didn't do well in your test." He said seriously, looking at her.

She looked down, clearly sad.

"It's okay, I'm used to it." She murmured

"Well, you don't need to get used to that. You just need to study harder."

"I know…it's just, I don't seem to be able to focus lately. And besides, I used to study with Amy and now she doesn't have much time left for this."

"You know... I could help you out." He said, touching her shoulder, trying to offer some comfort.

She held her breath when he touched her and blushed.

"You really don't need to. It's really too much to ask."

"I enjoy tutoring Serena." He smiled beautifully "I would love to help you out. Specially since I won't start work till next Monday."

"Well, I will think about it." She said, really embarrassed for some reason she couldn't exactly figure out.

They heard footsteps coming from upstairs and Raye appeared, smiling widely. Darien retreated his hands from Serena's shoulder immediately without realizing why.

"You look great, Raye" He said, getting up. She really did look great. He long black hair was braided in a louse but beautiful way. She wore a black dress that stopped in her knees and not very high heels. Her make up was light and he could tell she had a very nice body.

"Thanks, you look great yourself" The girl blushed. He wore a black dress shirt and black pants.

"I think we should get going, we are already a little late."

She agreed. He looked at Serena, who had her eyes glued to the TV but seemed a little flushed.

"Can I come by tomorrow after lunch, Meatball Head?"

She just nodded, her face becoming very red, not daring to look at Raye who she knew wouldn't be happy to know she had plans with her "boyfriend"

"See you tomorrow then, take care!"

And they left, not before an annoyed Raye let Serena know she would be back late and remind the girl to tell Mina they had to be up earlier than tomorrow due to some sort of lecture they had to attend.

_**.::A/N: Hey guys, so what do you think of the story?**_

_**I'm really excited about this one. I haven't abandoned the other story okay? I'll update it tomorrow or the day after (the only reason I'm not sure it's because I have a tight schedule tomorrow.)**_

_**Thanks for your reviews and private messages.**_

_**I read all of them and it inspires me so much. **_

_**Keep R&R**_

_**I can't stop writing this story, so I may update the next chapter very soon.::.**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Title: What a new beginning really means**

**Author: PrettyVchan**

_**.:: Hey guys, this is my second fanfic. I hope you guys enjoy. It's fairly different from the first one since this one is A/U. Please make sure check out my fic "In Joy and Sorrow". **_

_**Hope you enjoy my story ::.**_

Chapter 3 – The world around us

Raye and Darien had a really great time together. They went first to the movies and watched a comedy and then they had dinner in a fancy restaurant Andrew told Darien about. They talked mostly about her. She told him about her goals of becoming an actress and that she wrote songs as well, but she needed to help her grandfather with money and that's why she was going to Business school. She also told him about the things she enjoyed doing in her free time and a little about her family and the fact she was training to be a priestess. Darien didn't talk much about himself because he really didn't like to, so he tried his best to avoid any deep topic by complementing her, which seemed to work well.

Nothing eventful happened in their date. He thought the girl was charming and interesting and felt like kissing her at some point but thought he should maybe take his time. He wasn't sure if he liked her that much.

In his car, back at her apartment building entrance where he was going to drop her off, she asked him something she had in her mind since they left earlier:

"Huh, Darien…what are you and Serena doing tomorrow, if I may ask?" She sounded like she was trying really hard to hide her anger.

"I thought I should help Meatball Head with her school work, since she's struggling with that… why? Does that bother you?" He asked, smirking.

"Of course not!" She crossed her arms in her chest "I just think you should know that it's going to be a waste of time. Serena is not very smart, you know? That's all I think."

"You really think ill of her, don't you?" He asked, serious.

"Not ill of her… I just know her faults and try to point them out to her, so she realizes she has to grow up, that's all! That's being a friend and being helpful."

"I think you should back off a little bit, Raye. Let her be herself."

"I am TRYING to help her to improve herself. If you like her so much then you should take her to dinner, not me." She said, looking away.

Darien held her chin making her look at him and smirked again.

"You look cute when you're jealous."

"I am so not jealous!" She murmured

"What about us going out tomorrow again after I am done helping Serena?" He asked flirtatiously.

"Really? You want to take me on another date?" She asked, eyes shimmering.

"Of course, why wouldn't I?" He couldn't help but to flirt with her, she was very beautiful. "Say you meet me at your apartment around 6 p.m. tomorrow?"

"Yeah! Sounds like a plan." She smiled.

"Great" He approached her and kissed her left cheek. "Have a good night then."

She blushed to his kiss and left the car, going back to her apartment.

…

For some reason, Darien looked forward to see Serena that afternoon. He couldn't figure out why he wanted to help her so badly so he decided it was obviously because he hated to see pretty girls getting upset.

Again that day he had lunch at Andrew's but this time the only people with him were Amy and Lita.

They sat at a smaller booth and talked a little about school and expectations about his future job. Lita asked some about how he and Andrew had met and mentioned that she was plan to throw a surprise party for his birthday. She wondered if Darien could help and the young man was pleased to. She blushed to his comment of how much she seemed to like Andrew and he was sure she was actually in love with his good friend, which he thought was cute but very worrying.

Darien had notice how close Mina and Andrew were and how protective he was of her. Andrew would mention the blonde beauty every five seconds and in multiple times he'd get home and see his friend talking to her on the phone and that made him feel sad for Lita. It may be hard to like someone who doesn't like you back. That whole one-sided love thing everyone talks about.

When he was all done with his lunch he decided it was about time to leave and go meet Serena at her place. He said his goodbyes to the ladies and when he was about to leave Lita approached him asking him to bring Serena some food she made herself.

"I am assuming she didn't have lunch and if she did, it wasn't something healthy so would you please bring this to her?"

He thought of how touching that action was. Something so simple as making lunch for a friend who obviously needed support could really touch his heart. He noticed how lonely his life had been and aside from Andrew he never had people doing this kind of things to him. Serena was a lucky girl.

…..

She was terrified with the idea of being alone with Darien. Actually, she was terrified of how stupid she was going to look in front of him. She didn't know why she'd agreed with that whole studying thing but then again, she was kind of forced by the way he talked. It didn't help that they would be all alone in her apartment. It made things worse, actually, since she felt really uncomfortable being alone with any guy that wasn't a family member or Andrew. Even with Seiya she didn't feel comfortable and they had been going out for at least eight months now.

For some reason, she also felt the need to look pretty for Darien. Not that she liked him, of course she didn't, it was just cause she didn't want to look stupid AND ugly. 'Of course, that's all'. She got home from school, took a shower and put on black leggings and a baby blue low cut T-shirt that had some sparkles on it. Her hair was tight on a ponytail and she wore a little bit of make up but not enough he could really notice.

She was pacing around the apartment when she heard someone knocking on the door. She took a few deep breaths and answered it trying to understand why she was so nervous about looking dumb.

He wasn't a bad vision at all. That tall, black haired man, beautiful midnight blue eyes staring at her, dressed casually all in black again, holding something that looked like a bowl and smelled really good. He smiled to Serena and she let him in without saying much.

….

He noticed that her books were already set on the meal table and that the house seemed even more organized than it was last night.

"I brought you lunch, Meatball Head. I mean, Lita asked me to bring it to you." He said, handing the bowl to the girl.

"Yay! Thanks!" She smiled. He loved when she smiled. Why?

"Are you hungry?"

"Yeah, I haven't had lunch yet, only breakfast and two snacks." She said casually, already grabbing a fork and sitting at the table to eat.

"Is that all?" He said sarcastically, sitting by her. "What are we studying today? Do you want me to revise your test so we can take if from there…?"

"Sure" She said, mouth full.

He looked at her appreciating the fact that she seemed content. He also notice she looked beautiful. Blue really suited her. He tried his best not to notice her cleavage and forced himself to focus on the test. It wasn't an easy one especially for someone who didn't have the natural way with the numbers. He waited for her to be done with her meal and started to explain to her exactly what she had done wrong.

He actually found her to be a quick learner but her anxiety would get in the way of her doing the right thing. She seemed to be terrified of failing so she wouldn't even try her best. They studied until a little after five, when she decided she was done for the day, already yawning.

"See, it wasn't as hard as you thought it was, right?"

"You're right, it wasn't" Her smile would light the room. What was he thinking again?

"You're a smart girl, Serena. You need to give yourself more credit, I have the feeling you don't believe in yourself."

"Come on, we both know I am not smart, or beautiful, or special in any way, no need to say this type of things." She said it in a way that sounds as if he had offended her.

"Why do you have to be so defensive all the time? I am complementing you."

"Well, I don't need your approval." She crossed her arms and stood up "You can go now, thanks for the help."

"I am not going anywhere, I told Raye I would meet her here."

"Oh…" She thought for a bit "In that case… I'm going to my room and you can do whatever you want, just don't destroy my apartment." And she walked to the stairs.

"Wait!" He asked "Can't you keep me company?"

Serena hesitated. Did he really want her company?

"Look, I appreciate you helping me, I am not sure why you're doing this but you don't need to act like you like me or anything."

"But I do like you. I want us to be friends." He said timidly, looking down.

She was out of words for a moment. He had caught her out of guard. She could use a friend right now and they seem to get along well nowadays. It was weird to think that the annoying teenager who would make her cry almost every day now wanted to be friends with her.

"Okay, I'll keep you company" She said in defeat, head down. "But only if you play the new Sailor V game with me!" Her eyes were sparkling.

"Well, I don't really play videogames, and I never played this one before" He saw disappointment in her eyes "But I guess I could give it a try, right?" He added quickly and she smiled again, grabbed his hand and walked him to the couch. He felt an electric sparkle as she touched him and felt something burning inside of him. He tried to brush away the feeling. She sat him down at the couch and hooked up her videogame handing him a controller. Serena started to talk nonstop about the game, about things she liked in Sailor V and how awesome it was to play it. They had a great time even though she was majorly kicking his butt at the game.

Sometime after 6 they heard the door opening and Raye and Mina got back at the apartment both looking surprised to see the duo playing videogames.

"Well, well, I thought Meatball Head was going to study! I didn't know Sailor V thought something other than how to act like a 5 year old." Raye smirked, eyes shifting from Darien to Serena.

"Hi Serena! Hey, Darien! Good to see you guys! Sere, I have great news for you!" Mina smiled widely and bounced up and down with excitement.

"What's up?" Serena asked, pausing the game and jumping to where Mina was standing.

"Guess who's coming back in town?" Mina couldn't hide her excitement

"Molly?" Serena asked, happily

"Noooo! Why would I get this happy about that? I mean, I love Molly but…THAT'S NOT THE CASE! THE THREELIGHTS ARE COMING BACK!" Mina jumped out of excitement.

"Oh" Said Serena thoughtfully

" 'Oh'? Did you understand what I said? SEIYA is coming back! And Yaten!" Mina had a dreamy expression in her eyes.

"I know who the Threelights are." She said, going back to her spot by Darien.

"Why aren't you happy, Serena?" Asked Raye "You're boyfriend is finally coming back from his tour. You cried your eyes out when he left."

Darien gagged to the sound of the word "boyfriend". Really? Meatball Head had a boyfriend? Luckily, the girls were too focused on Serena's (lack of) reaction.

" I am happy," She affirmed not sounding convincing

"What's wrong? Did you guys have an argument or something?" Asked a suspicious Raye

"Not really, he just…haven't call me in forever and now even Mina gets the news about him coming back way before I do. I wonder if he'll call me to let me know…"

"I'm sorry" Mina apologized "Yaten told me they've been really busy with touring and I'm sure Seiya misses you, he's crazy about you, you know that. I'm sure he'll call ya".

Darien noticed Raye's eyes rolling.

"Oh please! I told you that would happen, Serena. I warned you it wasn't a good idea for a regular girl like yourself to date a Superstar. He's a nice guy, and he likes you, but it's show business, he won't have time to be the ordinary boyfriend you need him to be."

"I know Raye, you constantly remember I am not good enough for Seiya."

"Meatball dates a Superstar?" Darien asked sounding surprised.

"Yes, haven't you heard of the Threelights?" Mina asked, in shock

"Not that I remember."

"Impossible! They are the biggest thing on the planet! Wait here!" Mina ran upstairs.

Serena seemed very upset and even Raye felt sorry for her.

"I didn't mean to offend you in any way, Serena. I've known Seiya for a long time, and he's such an impulsive person and you're a very sensitive person. Your relationship worries me, that's all." She said honestly, approaching her friend with kindness.

"You think I am weak, don't you?" Serena asked softly

"Not weak, I just think you are too childish to be dating…you may not have the maturity to deal with someone like Seiya and…"

"Why do you have to use these words with me, Raye? Sometimes I feel like you're mean to me on purpose."

"SEE? Here we go again, you being extra sensitive, it's like no one can tell you anything."

Darien held his breath knowing the two would start a big fight but Mina getting back to the living room, screaming, shifted the attention out of the conflict:

"HERE! I FOUND IT" She handed Darien a poster with three guys looking forward and posing like typical pop stars.

"This hunk here is Serena's boyfriend!" She showed him, pointing to a tall black haired man with blue eyes and a cocky expression. "This is Amy's crush – don't tell her I told you that, she would kill me. His name is Taiki." She pointed to a brown haired man "And this one is Yaten" She sighted "He has the best voice and he's so nice, and sweet." Yaten looked a lot like a girl, silver hair and green bright eyes, delicate features. For some reason Darien didn't like any of them.

"Yaten's is Mina's lover" Raye joked

"Shut up! Aren't you late for your little date?" Mina blushed. Darien felt sorry for Andrew and wondered if they would talk about the "Threelights" like that in front of him.

"We are late, Raye. Plus I wasn't really planning to spend our time together talking about other guys, you know" He smirked and winked to the brunette.

"Let's go then! Let me at least change into something decent, I won't take long." She said happily.

Mina approached Serena and sat by her side, where Darien previously had sat, her arms around her friend's shoulder.

"He's coming back really soon and you'll feel happier than ever. It's just a phase, I swear."

"Thanks Mina…" Serena smile lightly.

Darien observed the scene quietly standing by the door. He thought about Raye's effort to talk to her friend, it mustn't been easy for her. He wondered again what was up with the two girls. He also felt happy Mina was there to keep Serena company, he could tell she needed to be around people now. And of course, he thought about that Seiya guy and wondered whether he was a good guy after all.

Raye didn't take long getting dressed and the couple left soon enough.

The date was again very pleasant and again, they talked a lot more about her. At the end of their date, she invited him over for some tea. He gladly accepted and they got into the dark apartment trying to be quiet so they wouldn't disturb anyone.

It was a little late and as far as they could hear, everyone was already in bed.

Darien waited for Raye to make the tea and when she got back they both sat on the couch and talked for a little bit. She was remarkably beautiful specially wearing that red blouse and the tight jeans. She could easily become a model if she wanted, he thought smiling.

"What are you smiling about?" Asked Raye resting her tea at the center table.

"I was just thinking…" Darien did the same "You are really beautiful" The mood was already set: dark apartment with people already sleeping, the two of them alone. She blushed a little. He rested his arms in her shoulders and looked at her in the eyes.

"Darien… I really like going out with you." She blushed.

"That's good, because I like taking you out on dates." Darien declared.

Before he knew what was happening, Raye's lips were pressed against his. He responded to the kiss in a soft way, trying to decide if he liked the way she kissed.

His whole life Darien heard people talking about the feeling you get when you kiss someone you really like for the first time. He hoped he'd feel butterflies in his stomach but he felt nothing more than pleasure to be kissing an attractive girl.

Her kiss was tender and she tasted sweet. They kissed for a while until a loud sound broke the kiss. The phone was ringing.

"Excuse me" She apologized "It's late at night so I guess it may be something important".

Darien was a little bit frustrated with such an abrupt end to their kiss.

"Hello? Yes? Well, she's sleeping, and you should know better than calling this late, you know she has to wake up early." Long pause. "So what I'm not her mom? I'm not waking her up, call her tomorrow!" Another pause "Wait, what? What did you just say? That's rude." Short pause "Fine, I'll wake her up, you better have some good excuse for not calling her for almost two weeks."

Raye sighted

"I'm sorry, it's Seiya, I'm going to wake Serena up, and I'll be right back." She said.

"Okay" He murmured.

Raye went upstairs and it didn't take too long for her to come back, a sleepy Serena by her side. She didn't even acknowledged Darien's presence since she went eagerly straight to the phone.

"Want to go to my room?" Raye asked, "I mean, just so we give her some privacy" She realized that question must have sounded suggestive after they kissed.

"I think I should get going," He said simply. "I've enjoyed our evening though," He said getting closer to her. "We should go out again soon." He smiled.

"I'd love to." She smiled back mischievously

"WHY DID YOU EVEN CALL ME IF YOU'RE JUST BEING CRUEL?" They heard Serena's voice, she was definitely crying. "Seiya! I don't want to see you again if you keep doing this to me!" Pause "This is unfair! I just asked you something! Have you been drinking? Is that why you called me?" Pause "OH REALLY? YOU KNOW WHAT? JUST GO TO HELL! I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN!" And she slammed the phone.

"What happened Serena? What was that all about?" Raye asked

"He is a joke! Seriously! He's nothing like the Seiya we know! He became a smug asshole, all he thinks about its fame, fame, and fame! I don't know him anymore!" She cried

"Nothing is going to be solved if you just scream and hang up the phone! And I hate to say I told you so."

"OH MY GOD, SHUT UP!" Serena screamed, "I'm so done with both of you! Leave me alone!" She stormed off, leaving Raye astonished.

"Look at her! She is impossible, I didn't say anything wrong, I was being supportive." She turned to Darien

"Raye…I don't think you quite notice what you say and how you say it sometimes…"

Raye seemed even more astonished.

"Are you insinuating I did something wrong? Really?" She asked, dangerously.

"I'm not insinuating anything. Just give her a time. Look, why don't I check on her before I leave just to make sure she's okay? What's her room?"

Raye looked at him angrily and after a few seconds thinking she answered.

"Go upstairs, you'll know the room when you see it." She turned around, facing the wall. Darien sighted, but grabbed her through the waist and whispered in her ear. "And then I'll check in on you afterwards, to see how you're doing."

Raye nodded and he headed upstairs. Serena's room was unmistakable since it had a little sign saying: 'SERENA'S! Not Raye's room'.

He knocked on her door lightly.

"Get out Raye!"

"It's me, Darien."

She took a while to respond but finally said: "Come in."

The room was dark; the only light was coming from a lamp by Serena's bed. He could see that the room was baby pink. By the door he noticed a lot of pictures hanging on a mural. He recognized a lot of faces he knew but was surprised to see how many pictures of Raye she had. It seemed like they used to be closer in the past. He looked at Serena who was sitting in her bed, facing the floor.

"Serena…Raye didn't mean to be rude to you, she's just worried…"

"If you're here to talk about her just go away, she doesn't need a lawyer, she knows how to talk and everything" She looked at him and he could she deep hurt and anger.

"I'm sorry. I didn't come here to talk about Raye. I just came here to check on you. How are you feeling?"

For a while she didn't respond. She was contemplating the feeling of having someone worrying about her and wanting to know her feelings.

She looked down again and he could see tears falling from her eyes.

"I'm fine" He could barely hear her.

"I'm sorry, Serena" He said getting closer and sitting by her side "Is there anything I can do to help you?"

She started crying more. He held her close to him, feeling the need to protect and calm her down. For some reason he hated to see her suffering and needed her to be okay. Again, when they touched, he felt sparkles of electricity traveling through his body and almost felt like crying with her. It was like her unhappiness was his unhappiness. 'What is going on with me?'

He begun to caress her soft hair and started to mumble some words of comfort.

…

What was that feeling growing inside of her? She felt like she was being protected from all evil around her and slowly all her sadness started to leave her body making her feel in peace for once in a really long time. She pressed herself even closer to him, feeling like she belonged there and scared that if he went away she would feel alone again.

…...

They stayed like that for a long time, in complete silence, just listening to each other's breath. He kept caressing her hair and whispered to her:

"You don't need to tell me what's going on, just rest and I promise I won't leave you until you're sound asleep and snoring."

She chuckled. "I don't snore" She said it in a low, sweet voice that made him smile. They stayed like that until she finally relaxed enough to fall asleep. As soon as he realized she was asleep he saw someone coming in the bedroom. It was Raye. She was holding a glass of water.

"Here, Serena, I brought you this…"

"Shh…" Darien said in a low voice "She's sleeping."

Raye helped Darien by lying Serena down in the bed so he could get up. She turned off the light and they both left.

Darien was still feeling some sort of warmth in his chest. While holding Serena he had completely forgot about Raye, about kissing her, and could only focus about how great if felt to help Serena out.

"Darien…I would love to take you on that offer…you know…you said you'd check on me too" She smiled "But I'm tired and I need to go to school tomorrow. You need to rest as well. I think I should go to bed."

He couldn't agree more. He kissed her softly and quickly in the lips and told her she didn't need to take him downstairs. For some reason he felt like he couldn't leave Serena and worried if she would be okay in the morning.

'Quit thinking about Meatball Head, it's getting annoying.' He thought to himself, satisfied with the idea of coming back the next day and tutoring her.

_**.:: A/N: Hey! I had a big day yesterday going to the dentist and hanging out with friends I hadn't seen in a long time. Unfortunately, I woke up feeling sick today and spend the whole day in bed. Lame. I am feeling better now! I am working on the next chapter of "In Joy and Sorrow" and I'll update it tomorrow. Thanks for the reviews!" **_

_**PrettyVchan! ::.**_


	4. Chapter 4

**Title: What a new beginning really means**

**Author: PrettyVchan**

_**.:: Hey guys, this is my second fanfic. I hope you guys enjoy. It's fairly different from the first one since this one is A/U. Please make sure check out my fic "In Joy and Sorrow". **_

He couldn't agree more. He kissed her softly and quickly in the lips and told her she didn't need to take him downstairs. For some reason he felt like he couldn't leave Serena and worried if she would be okay in the morning.

'Quit thinking about Meatball Head, it's getting annoying.' He thought to himself, satisfied with the idea of coming back the next day and tutoring her.

During the whole time Serena was in class she couldn't stop thinking about Darien's helpfulness. For a really long time she felt like she had no one there for her. True, she had her friends who she knew would always be loyal and supportive, but things have changed a lot in the past few months.

Things began to change by the end of high school. Serena's best friend since childhood, Molly, decided to move out and go to school in a different city along with her boyfriend. That was sad but not so upsetting because they would see each other during holidays and vacations. Still, since Serena was so nervous about going to college, she took that a lot harsher than she should have. Amy, Mina and Lita, who were also Serena's best friends, supported her the best way they could, and she felt closer to them then ever. That summer between High School and College was crucial to the girls' relationship. That was when Lita suggested that Mina and Serena should move in together, to begin adulthood with responsibilities but still having support in each other. During that summer they met Raye through their friend, Seiya. They've heard a lot about the mysterious Raye, since Seiya and her had had grow up together. She was already a sophomore in college and helped them adapt in the first few months they were in school. She moved with Mina and Serena a little before school started.

Raye and Serena developed a really close relationship as soon as they met each other. They would constantly argue about silly things, because they had different temperaments and opinions, but they always wanted the best for each other. They rarely talked about feelings, but every time Serena has ever needed Raye, she was always there, supporting her friend, usually with a smile on her face. Raye thought of Serena as her little sister, someone who needed constantly care and protection. She saw the girl as a porcelain doll, defenseless and very sensitive.

Andrew and the girls met each other through Serena, who he used to babysit, and as soon as Lita got in cooking school, he asked her if she would like to work at his diner place, Crown. She couldn't be more excited with the idea of working with what she loved and with someone she liked. They were not very close before starting working together, but soon developed a tight relationship, and it didn't take long for Lita to start falling for the beautiful and gentile blonde man.

Lita became very busy with school and work and barely had time to hang out with the girls. The same happened with Amy, going to school and being accepted to a nice Hospital in her first year was a huge accomplishment and she made sure she would give her best even if it meant to sacrifice the hours she could be spending having a good time with her friends.

Minako had always been a busy girl. Since High School her schedule was very tight.

She used to train Volleyball, as well as taking acting and singing classes. She was the one who encouraged Raye to at least minor in acting, since the brunette had the dream of become a star but never had the chance to actually acting on it, since she was busy with training to become a Priestess and getting a degree that, according to his grandpa, would bring Money and Honor to the family.

Being really beautiful and charming, Minako had always some modeling or acting gig going on and had always to keep herself pretty and ready in case they needed an understudy. She had been in a few of the "Threelights" video clips, as well as Raye.

Serena felt like, little by little, her friends were being taken away from her. Seiya had made things bearable for a few months but now; he was actually unknowingly, making things far worse.

Seiya and Serena met each other when they were both fourteen. They used to go to the same high school in the same classroom and became friends really quickly. Their closeness had always been a reason for gossips and for a long time Serena didn't even realize that Seiya was flirting with her. She had her first kiss with him, in a small party, where they played "Truth or Dare" when she was a little over fifteen. It was the most embarrassing moment in her life as she recall. Only years later he finally confessed his love for her.

Seiya had this band called "Threelights" with their friends also from High School: the smart Taiki and the shy Yaten. They worked really hard, played in the worst places ever, did all they could to become the hit they were now. The girls had always supported them since the very beginning. When they signed with a big record company, they had a concert, in honor to their first album. In that concert, right before performing the last song, Seiya grabbed the microphone and announced:

"Today I am kissing the most beautiful girl I have ever seen. I'll ask her to be my girlfriend. Who thinks she should say yes?" The crowd went crazy. Right after the concert, Seiya came up to Serena, who was watching the whole thing in the backstage and kissed her. They've been dating ever since that day.

Everyone seemed to be excited about the romance, except for Raye. She repeatedly asked Serena if she really thought it was a good idea to date Seiya. "He's becoming a Superstar, he's surrounded by all these gorgeous girls all the time, he's impulsive, he'll be blinded by fame." Serena didn't believe what her friend was saying and in fact, Raye's words infuriated Serena. She thought that if she was Seiya's friend since childhood she should never doubt her friend. She should support him in whatever he decided.

Dating Seiya was really fun at first. He was a fun person to be around. Always managing to make anyone laugh and always making everyone feel loved. He was also very caring and since they have been friends for a long time they had no problem sharing thoughts and ideas with each other. He took Serena in fancy dates, they had fun in the most boring parties the record company would throw, and he took her to award prizes ceremonies… but being an artist and date don't always go together. Many times he would have to travel, or spend nights locked in a studio recording songs. He started to hang out with other famous people, started to drink more often than before, and started touring around the world. He slowly became more inconsistent and less present in Serena's life. It was almost like his career was the most important matter in the face of the earth and nothing was as big as his band.

Serena had the feeling that she was alone in the world and she couldn't even blame anyone else but herself for that. She knew people had to move on: they couldn't always stay there for her; she had to be responsible and independent. Everyone seemed a little on edge lately. She didn't feel like bothering Amy or Lita with her problem; she knew Mina had been dealing with her own problems (besides school and work) involving Yaten and Raye and her had grown apart since she started dating Seiya. She was feeling hopeless until he came to the picture. Darien.

…

Darien was nervous when he got to her apartment. He spent the whole day thinking about Serena. He wanted to believe that he was just worried about the girl, still he kept thinking about things he know he should not think, like how blue her eyes were, or how sweet her voice was. All these conflicting thoughts were very confusing for someone so objective and rational as himself.

Seeing the lovely face when she opened the door did not help even a little: it made him feel more confused and unsure of how to proceed.

An awkward silence was installed between the duo. They both obviously thinking about last night. Serena obviously thinking he thought she was childish and silly for crying her eyes out and Darien thinking she may be upset that he had stayed in her bedroom until she fell asleep or that she would still feel too depressed she would want to study.

A voice behind Serena broke the silence.

"Hey Darien! Welcome!" Mina, all dressed up and looking gorgeous said, approaching them.

"Oh, Hi Mina!" He smiled. Serena also said hi and told him to come in, not daring to look him in the eyes.

"You look great Mina." He complimented the girl who smiled happily.

"Thanks! I am heading to a photo shoot. They called me this morning saying that the model got sick and asked me to please be there soon so I'm heading out now. I'm so excited! They'll even pay me!"

"You look like a princess, Mina." Serena said gently. "If I was as beautiful as you…"

'What is she talking about? She's more beautiful than Mina even though they kind of look alike.' Darien though, analyzing Serena.

"What?" Serena asked, noticing his glare and making him blush slightly.

'That's odd! I haven't blushed in years! Well, I hate to be caught out of guard.' He thought again looking at Mina who was looking at herself in the mirror and giving herself a pep talk.

"Okay guys, now I really need to go. Wish me luck!" And without even waiting for a response Mina left.

Another long awkward silence took the room.

"Look…"

"Serena I…"

They both spoke at the same time.

"Go ahead." He said.

"I am sorry I bugged you last night with my childish nonsense and…"

"Don't apologize." He smiled, interrupting her. "Whatever it is that makes you so upset, I don't want to know. I mean, I do want to know, but I think that you must be overloaded with questions and people asking you what's going on and trying to tell you what to do or how to feel so if it makes you feel better, you don't need to tell me anything. I don't think you should feel a certain way or act a certain way. I am not here to judge you. But if you want to cry and if you need someone to distract you, count on me. And of course, if you need to talk about it, but only if you want."

He said these words so quickly before he could even think it through. Somehow he would get spontaneous around that girl, even when he was younger. He wasn't the type of guy who would just randomly pick on young girls, but something in Serena gave him the urge to just do as he pleased.

He big blue eyes looked at him puzzled and blinked a few times, processing all the information. He felt like he had said something he shouldn't have. But then she smiled - large, sincere, beautiful smile.

"Thank you! You don't know how important that is to me!"

They studied a lot, until somewhat late. Still, even when he left, Raye hadn't get home yet. According to Serena the girl had a lot of duties in her grandpa's temple that day. Still, Raye called when he was already home and ended up stopping by Andrew's apartment for a while.

...

The rest of the week went by smoothly with Darien looking forward to spend his afternoon with Serena. She was a lot of fun to be around. It seemed like she had always something funny to say, and she was so bright and full of life. He couldn't help but notice that she seemed to shine brighter when they were around each other. Maybe because she didn't feel pressured in their friendship the way she was feeling with other people. He had some fun moments with Mina and Serena, they both acted goofy when they were around each other, in a fun way. Raye and Serena were still fighting a lot and he would try his best not to be in the same room as both of them.

His relationship with Raye was progressing. He liked to be with the girl. She was pretty, polite, intelligent and kissing her was good. Making out was also really good. Still, he didn't feel romantically attached to her.

Talking with Andrew the other day he found out that he was Raye's first "lasting" relationship in a really long time. According to his friend, the girl was a loner, rarely dated and always found something to complain about her dates. Apparently, someone had really broken her heart in the past. Darien didn't like hearing that. He liked Raye more as a friend than as a potential serious girlfriend. He started to doubt if going out with her was really a good idea in the first place.

…..

Serena didn't like when Darien suggested they'd have to study a little more on Friday. She had this rule that Fridays and Saturdays were not to be spent studying but decided, just for once, she would do it this time, after all, next week he would start working and was sure he wouldn't be able to tutor her as frequently as he was doing now.

"It's okay though," He said; "Saturday is Andrew's surprise birthday party so we'll have fun and it will make up for all the studying. Right?"

He got there early and they soon started to get some work done, both obviously eager to get it all done.

"I think I'll be smarter than Amy if I keep studying this hard." She smiled and winked, getting up to get herself some tea.

"I bet you will, Meatball Head." He smiled back.

"Oh my, look outside!" She said, pointing to the window. The sky was a deep shade of gray. "I don't remember it being so bad this morning!"

"It wasn't. I didn't know it was supposed to rain today." He thought out loud.

Serena grabbed the remote and turned on the weather channel. It announced a big storm and asked people please not to leave wherever they were.

They both looked at each other as if realizing they were about to spend some more time alone. Serena blushed a little with the idea and turned off the TV.

"I should check on the girls!" She said walking towards the phone and calling Mina up to check on her. Soon enough it started to rain. A lot.

….

"Crap!" Serena muttered.

The rain was getting stronger and stronger and now, to make it worse there were these terrible lightings.

Darien initially would meet Raye back at the apartment but since the rain was getting worse every time she called him and let him know that she didn't know when she would be able to get back so they should meet in the next day.

He was at the bathroom, before leaving, when he heard a loud noise of the thunderstorm followed by a scream of pure horror. He ran to the living room to find Serena shaking and all curled up in the couch, two pillows in each side of her face.

"What's wrong, Serena?" He asked, getting closer to where she was.

"I…hate…" Another terribly loud noise silenced the girl who looked at him, her big eyes full of tears and fear.

"What? Are you scared of this?"

She nodded. Another loud noise, she cried.

He smiled and got close to her, pushing her to himself.

"Calm down. It's just a storm, it's not going to hurt you." He said. "You'll be fine."

"No, I won't! Mina is not here, Raye is not here, you're leaving. Snif. I'm going to be alone." She cried.

"I'm not going anywhere." He said firmly. "Until this thing is over, I'll stay here with you. Is that better?"

She looked at him, her eyes so big and bright and she nodded again, trying to control herself so she wouldn't cry anymore. Their eyes met and she felt really calm. It was like Darien had this unique way of making her fears leave her body. He hugged her tighter and started brushing her hair. Once again he screamed when she heard the loud noise. He decided that the best option was to distract her of the noises.

"Wanna play Sailor V?" He asked, smiling. She agreed and they soon started playing. Once again, she was winning all the battles.

The rain wasn't getting any weaker and Darien worried if it would even pass tonight. Then, the light started blinking, until it completely faded, leaving them in complete darkness.

He could feel Serena start to shake and he knew he had to act before she had a panic attack.

"If you tell me where do you keep your candles and flashlights I'll go get if for you." She gave him the directions and he soon came back some candles and two flashlights. He handed one to Serena and kept one to himself. He lighted the candles.

Serena sighted.

"What are we supposed to do now?" She asked, sitting on the floor, next to a candle in the center table. Darien sat by her side.

"I don't know." He couldn't help but think it would feel great to hold her in his arms and cuddle with her, caressing her hair and her skin, feeling her soft lips in his lips, maybe making love…

"Right?" He heard Serena's voice and realized he was fantasizing and not even paying attention to his surroundings.

"Huh?" He asked.

"I said… I didn't properly thank you for that night, right?"

"What are you talking about?" He said, turning his head to face her.

"I mean you did so much for me. You've been doing so much. Tutoring me, helping me when I was crying and now keeping me company. I don't think I have really thanked you properly." She spoke shyly.

He looked in her eyes, feeling his body being penetrated by the way she looked at him.

"I feel good when you smile. Honestly." He added when he saw that she didn't believe him. "You're special and your smile makes eveyone's life a bit easier, so if I am capable to help you get through a rough time, the whole world wins." He winked.

'But you can kiss me if you want.' He thought and brushed away the thought. It wasn't right to be thinking about her that way.

"Seriously! How can I repay you?"

"You can tell me why you've been so unhappy lately." He replied simply.

She looked at him and then looked away for a while. She took a deep breath.

"Fine." She said finally. She lied down on the floor, looking at the ceiling. Darien observed her. She was very serious. "There's a lot going on. And frankly I think I shouldn't been this upset but I am."

She said how things had changed between the girls and her, she also spoke about how useless she felt since she was the only one who didn't have a job yet, talked about Molly. He listened to her every world, carefully, and sympathizing with her situation.

"And there's Raye… and of course…Seiya…" She sighted loudly. "Funny, isn't it? How the most important people in our lives are the people who we have most conflict with?"

She started to tell all about her problems with Seiya. How much she loved him, pointing out he was her best friend ever, he was amazing and loving, but he had changed so much and she felt like she didn't know him.

"He doesn't care if I am alive. He never calls and when he does, he talks about this tour, his concerts, and his parties. He tells me he bought all these things to me, he tells me he loves me, but I just hear words… I don't feel love, I don't feel anything coming from him anymore. And the more that goes on, the more often Raye tells me 'I told you so, Serena!'"

"What does she say that, Serena?"

"Raye told me since the beginning that I was too young to get involved with Seiya, that I had no idea of what his life would be like and that I wasn't prepare for what she calls emotional charge the relationship would demand. The worse part is that she is absolutely right and it angers me so much. I mean, I should have known, since she knows him way better than I do…"

"Really? How so?" Darien was curious.

"Yeah, they met when they were little kids. They grew up together. Like brother and sister, that's what he says. She doesn't like when he calls her sister though… She says she's an only child and she's happy that way." Serena chuckled "She's funny, that Raye. But it seems she's never happy for me. She got mad when I started dating him, she said I was either going to ruin his career and dream or he would break my heart. She said no good could come from our relationship. We've been like sisters since we met so when she said that…I don't know…it really broke my heart."

Darien didn't even realized he also laid down on the floor, face sort of next to Serena yet his body was turning to the opposite side. He was deep in his thoughts trying to figure out why would Raye get so angry with was actually Serena's business.

"He is breaking my heart" Serena said in a really low voice. "He really is. Little by little. Not because he is not calling me and stuff… because if we end up breaking up it's all right… but because he is changing who he is. And he is such a wonderful person he should never change. I can still remember our first kiss…you know…my first kiss actually…it was so romantic."

Suddenly Darien moved in a way he could see Serena's face.

"Serena… how does it…" He stopped himself.

"What?"

"Nothing." He looked away. "It's a silly question."

"What, ask me! You kind of have to, I told you my whole life and more." She smiled lightly.

He looked at her again. "Okay…" He sighted.

"Well, Serena…how does it feel to kiss someone you love?" He asked and immediately regretted the question. Her eyes went wide and she looked puzzled.

"What are you asking? Haven't you ever kissed someone you loved?" She said, trying hard not to smile.

"Never mind. See? It was a stupid question!" He felt his face burning. She could make him blush like no one else.

"Seriously? You've never kissed someone you loved?" She asked in disbelief.

"No, never." He answered very seriously, really regretting that conversation.

"Why? Didn't the girls you loved want to kiss you?" She asked innocently.

He blushed even more and wished to hide.

"I…never loved anyone, really." He responded.

"WHAT?" She almost jumped. "How come?" She sat on her knees looking at him with a shocked experience. "But you're old and stuff…" She added.

Darien sat down feeling really embarrassed.

"I really don't want to talk about it."

"I can't believe you have never loved anyone." And she felt her chest filled with sadness. "You've only kissed girls you didn't love?"

"Yes." He responded and her eyes went wide again. "Come on, Meatball, it's not like I hated them or anything."

"So…you never loved anyone…" She kept repeating to herself.

The fell in a deep silence only broken by the rain outside. After what it seemed a very long time Serena broke the silence.

"It feels amazing." He looked at her. "Kissing someone you love…it feels amazing." She smiled lightly, some sadness in her eyes.

He looked at her. Her golden hair down in her face, her big blue eyes looking at him with compassion and her sweet full lips tempting him. His heart was pounding. He wanted to kiss her; he wanted to hold her.

"I'm sure one day you'll fall in love with a girl. She's going to be amazing as smart and nice as you are. And she's going to be very beautiful as well." She smiled and he felt his heart skipping a beep. "Who knows, maybe you'll end up falling in love with Raye." Listening to that name made Darien return to earth.

"You're right" He smiled sadly "It could be Raye."

For hours they talked. He told her every single detail of his life. He spoke about his father and his fear of going to the mansion and dealing with the ghosts from the past. He talked about missing his mother and about his hard time making friends. Serena was a great listener as much as she was a great talker and he found himself sharing things he hadn't shared with anyone. Not even Andrew. That didn't occurred to him until the next day because at that moment he was too caught up at the emotions the conversation was filling him with. He had never felt this close to anyone.

Serena and Darien fell asleep in the living room floor, their faces turned to each other, their bodies going in different directions. For the first time in his life Darien had a good, nightmare free night.

_**.:: A/N: So that was a lot of fun to write, especially Darien and Serena's part. I hope you guys like it. PLEASE Read and Review! Love ya! **_

_**Pretty V Chan ::.**_


	5. Chapter 5

**Title: What a new beginning really means**

**Author: PrettyVchan**

_**.:: Hey guys, this is my second fanfic. I hope you guys enjoy. It's fairly different from the first one since this one is A/U. Please make sure check out my fic "In Joy and Sorrow". **_

Serena and Darien fell asleep in the living room floor, their faces turned to each other, their bodies going in different directions. For the first time in his life Darien had a good, nightmare free night.

…

He woke up feeling like he was about to freeze. It took him a while to realize where he was. Looking at the girl by his side, sleeping with a light smile in her face he couldn't help but smiled too. He noticed that a window was wide opened so he quickly closed it. The sun was starting to shine so he thought it would be a good time to leave. After the night he spent with Serena just talking, he didn't feel like he had the strength to face her and say goodbye even if they would see each other later that day. He had also promised to Lita he would be at the apartment early so she could organize everything for the party.

Even thought Serena looked comfortable enough he took her in his arms and walked her upstairs, to her bed. He lied her down and observed her for a little while, not being able to look away. She was the most beautiful girl he had even seen and she seemed to become more attractive each time. He sighted and decided it was time to leave but looking at her made him forget about anything. He slowly leaned to her and kissed her forehead lightly.

"It's our secret, Meatball Head. Don't tell anyone." He whispered and finally left.

…

Lita got to Andrew's apartment at 2 p.m. as she had promised. She seemed anxious and agitated when she greeted Darien.

"Does he know we're throwing a party?" She asked nervously while waiting for the cake to be done.

"He hasn't acted any different so I think he doesn't have a clue." He smiled assuring it would be a great party.

"Thanks for the support Darien, it means a lot to me. I hope that the girls won't be too late. Raye and Amy are coming soon, Mina is the one in charged to bring Andrew, and Serena…you know her, she's probably still asleep." He sighted.

"Maybe not, she went to bed really early last night because of the thunderstorm and the lack of electricity at her place." He said without realizing what he was saying.

Lita looked at him puzzled.

"How do you know what time she went to bed?" She frowned.

"I…I…kept her company because of the storm." He wouldn't lie to Lita. It would be worse if she found out by herself. For some reason he felt guilty of staying with Serena.

"Look, I like you. You're Andrew's friend. But if you ever hurt any of my friends…" Lita was dangerously close to him, her eyes shimmering with some anger.

Luckily, the doorbell rang and Darien went straight to the door not daring to look back. Angry girls were something he wasn't eager to deal with. Amy and Raye were both on the door. Raye smiled timidly when she saw Darien, but hugged him affectionately. He felt his her shrinking with guilt and he hadn't done anything wrong.

"I missed you, Darien, I wish we had gone to our date last night." She whispered to him. He smiled but didn't respond. He pushed her gently away and smiled to Amy.

"Good to see you, Ames."

"Good to see you, Darien. How did you survive the storm last night, huh?" She asked casually. Again, guilt. What was wrong with him? He glared at Raye who was casually talking to Lita but the brown haired girl didn't miss Amy question, she was observing Darien.

"You…you know…I don't really care about storms and, what's that in your hands? It looks heavy, let me help you." He got the groceries she was bringing and placed them on the counter, feeling Lita's glare on his back.

They organized the whole thing and about an hour before the party's time, Serena got at the apartment. She was looking great. Her hair was down and wavy, she wore a light summer blue dress with some flowers on it and light jacket over it. He felt like he had to stop looking at her and made himself busy with the cake.

"Hey!" She looked happier than she had been in a while. He wondered if that had anything to do with him, his heart wishing he did.

"Hey girls! Darien!" She smiled beautifully. "Man, I am so hungry! I woke up early today and I even went jogging." Amy giggled. Lita was serious and Raye not interested. Their last argument was kind of ugly so they were not speaking to each other unless strictly necessary. "I swear! But then I went back home and I felt tired so I took a nap." She smiled gently.

"You look rather happy today, Sere. I haven't seen you like that in a while." Lita commented, looking from Darien to Serena. The blonde blushed and the man ignored her look.

"I got a phone call from Seiya today. He apologized and told me he loves me and that he'll make up for the bad things when he comes back." She said, smiling lightly. Darien felt his stomach suddenly hurting and felt extremely uncomfortable. 'Why did I think she was happy because of me?'

…

Serena smiled and told the girls about Seiya but deep down, the reason she was so happy was right there in that living room, looking at her with a serious expression. She hadn't had a good talk like they had last night in months! She hadn't felt this close to anyone in ages! She wouldn't dare to say it out loud because 1) she knew Raye would be angry. 2) It would sound like she liked him, which she didn't. 'Right? I don't!' she thought.

Seiya's phone call did made her feel a little excited but something inside of her said that wasn't going to last.

"So, Seiya called you and said that, huh? Do you believe him?" Raye asked, seriously.

"Why wouldn't why? Just because you don't believe him doesn't mean I have to doubt him too." Serena responded, eyes narrowing.

"Just checking… whatever, you're the one who have to deal with it, so I don't really care." Raye looked away, sad.

Serena ignored her, her eyes stopping at Darien, who had a sad expression in his eyes. He was looking at her and as soon as their eyes met, he looked away.

She wondered if she did something to upset her since he wasn't really talking to her. Soon after that the other guests started to appear and everyone put a smile on their faces and try to act normal for once.

…

Andrew got at the apartment with Mina and everyone yelled "surprise" and boy, was he surprised! He laughed and hugged Mina thanking her for the surprise. She was embarrassed.

"I'm sorry Andy, I wasn't the one who threw the party, my job was just to bring you here." She said, quietly.

"Huh…then who organized it?" He asked. She pointed to Lita who was smiling – still, evidently hurt – near the cake. He approached her and hugged her for a long time.

"That means a lot to me, Lita… you're such an amazing friend. I love you!" He kissed her cheek making the girl blush.

Darien, drinking his scotch, observed the scene from a distance. He was alone, sitting on a chair, not feeling like socializing. Mina and Raye were dancing happily and Amy talked with someone he didn't know.

Serena came by his side and he didn't even noticed until she said something.

"Whaaat are you looking at?" She smiled largely; she was determent to make sure he wasn't mad at her or something like that. He jumped from his sit.

"You scared me, Meatball Head!" She looked at him confused and he smiled to her "But that's okay…you're too small to cause me any harm."

"Hey! I am so not small! I can easily hurt you if I want to, I just choose not to." She challenged making him laugh.

"Right, right!" He patted her head and even with this dismissive touch, he felt connected to her. They engaged in a long conversation about trivialities. They commented on Lita and Andrew who were talking a lot and they both really hoped he would realize she was the one for him. They changed subjects to more serious matters and Serena decided to ask why he was so serious today, more than he usually was.

"I know you told me you have a hard time making friends but you've been doing well with hanging out with the girls and Andrew so far, but today you seemed so caught in your own world…"

He thought a little about that. She was right. And it wasn't just because he felt guilty about spending the night with her, or that Lita was making him unsure of how to behave, or that Raye could get angry with him if she found out about him staying with Serena… he knew, in the back of his mind he had something other than Serena bugging him. He hadn't told her that next Tuesday he would have to go to his parent's mansion and that was driving him apprehensive and nervous. After he explained it to her Serena thought for a little bit and then smiled largely.

"I've got it! I'll go with you! I owe you big time! That way if you feel like crying I will be there to help you out and put you in bed." She made him blush hard and smirk.

"I won't cry, don't you worry about that, I never cry." He winked.

"Oooh, I'm sorry Mr. Macho Man" And they laughed together.

"I'm sorry to interrupt the new best friends in town" Raye's voice came from behind "but I would like to at least talk to Darien for five minutes today, you don't mind Serena."

Serena just looked at her shocked with her friend's behavior. She stood up and left before anything could be said.

"Why did you do this, Raye? I don't appreciate it." Darien said harshly.

"Oh my, excuse me if I want to spend time with you. I had this wild idea we were dating and I haven't spent time with you in a while." She was clearly offended. Darien sighted.

"You don't need to be rude with anyone. If you want my attention you can ask me to give it to you, there's no need to talk to Serena or anyone else like that." He was angry. Raye embraced his neck with her arms and looked at him.

"I'm sorry. It won't happen again. I just wanted to spend some quality time with you, that's all." She smiled seductively. He held her by her waist.

"That's fine." He said.

She brought him close to her and started to dance with him. He looked around to see if anyone could see them – he hated to dance and felt terribly embarrassed whenever he had to dance. Fortunately, no one was paying attention.

They started to kiss, softly at first but she got fierce. He felt rather uncomfortable to kiss her like that in front of everyone but since no one seemed to care, he continued, partially because he felt guilty about spending the night admiring Serena.

They heard loud voices and noticed some movement at the door. He realized someone had just gotten to the party. They stopped kissing and he saw Serena running to the door and hugging someone.

He could recognize the long black hair and tall and thin frame in the door from the picture Mina had shown him. He also recognized the two other guys by his side.

'I thought that this Seiya was out of the country…'

…

Serena was dancing with Mina when her blonde friend screamed "YATEN!" and ran off to the door. She then saw Seiya standing there and smiling at her and ran too. She hugged Seiya as tight as she could.

"Serena!" He smiled largely "I missed you so much!"

"Oh my God! What are you doing here? You called me today and said you were coming back in a week!"

"I am really smart. I wanted you to be surprise, my little girl!" He winked at her. "Mina told Yaten about this party so we decided to come here and surprise you guys. We just waited until it was already late because we didn't want to accidentally run into Andrew and ruin the surprise for him. Where is him by the way?"

Serena looked around. She didn't see Andrew anywhere. And Lita wasn't anywhere to be found.

"That's odd! They were just here." Se thought out loud.

"Well, it doesn't matter, you're here and that's what I want." He held his girlfriend tight and his eyes met dark, beautiful ones who observed his every move.

…

When they saw Seiya, Darien could notice Raye's body tense up. She observed the whole scene without saying a world, but he saw something different in her eyes. Some sort of melancholia coming from them.

He started to observe Seiya. He really wanted to dislike him because he was causing pain in Serena but all he could think was 'He seems to be just a boy.'

He could see genuine happiness as Seiya and Serena talked and he could see he really missed her. That made his heart tight for some unknown reason. And then he saw Seiya's gaze meeting Raye's. They didn't say anything for a long time but their eyes were having an intense conversation.

After what felt really long time Raye broke the silence between them, as Seiya approached her, holding hands with Serena.

"So you're back…" She said.

"Yeah, happy to see me?" He smirked.

"Not even slightly." The girl proclaimed.

Seiya brought her close to him, to an embrace.

"Come on, Raye, stop acting like that. I know you missed me, I missed you too!" He smiled. She blushed and pushed him away. He laughed and noticed Darien. He looked confused and unsure, but suddenly shifted to a rather challenging and cocky expression.

"I'm Seiya." He introduced himself.

"I'm Darien. It's nice to meet you." Darien responded sounding serious. 'So, you're the jerk who's breaking Serena's heart' he thought.

"Oh, so you're Darien. Heard a lot about you. Like the fact you used to make fun of my girlfriend." He said, his arms tight around Serena's waist. Darien felt some anger, he didn't like the way he said that. And if someone was hurting Meatball head, that person was Seiya himself.

"He's been really nice to me, Seiya! He's tutoring me and everything." Serena interfered.

"Good." Seiya smiled. That was something weird about that smile. Darien forced himself to smile back to him.

"He and Raye are dating." She said not very loud.

"Really?" Seiya looked at Raye, a mysterious expression on his face. Raye blushed.

"Well, it's not official or anything, we just started going out and…"

"Yeah, we've been dating." Darien interrupted, curious about Seiya's facial expression.

"She's like a sister to me. So take care of her, because if you don't I'll take care of you." There was something non-fraternal in the way he looked at Raye. He smirked. "But as long as you treat her well, I don't see a problem with that."

"I'm so glad you guys are back!" Mina's voice interrupted the tension. She smiled, holding hands with a silver haired guys he knew was from the band. Along with them, Amy and Taiki approached the group. "See Darien, they are the Threelights I told you about. This one is Yaten and the tall one is Taiki. And you obviously already know Seiya."

Darien nodded to the other guys who nodded back, none of them really interested in starting a conversation. Darien didn't talk much, since everyone seemed to be catching up on what was going on in each other's lives. He noticed Raye and Seiya didn't talk much either. That was an awkward night.

Lita and Andrew came out of the balcony looking flushed and as soon as they saw their friends they came to talk to them and Darien felt like leaving. He didn't have anywhere else to go so he thought maybe he should take a walk.

He separated from the group and noticed Serena, a sincere smile on her face, holding hands with Seiya. That thought broke his heart for some reason and he wished to believe it was because he didn't like Seiya very much. He got himself some scotch and found himself a little tipsy. A warm, long but delicate hand touch him and he saw Raye sitting by him.

"Want to get away from here?" She asked. He agreed. He didn't want to stay there longer.

They went to his car.

"Where do you want to go?" He asked, his mind somewhere else.

"How about my apartment?" She suggested. He automatically drove there, not even glancing at her. His mind was a mess and his heart full of angst and confusion.

They got to her apartment and she told him to wait for her in her room, she would grab them some drinks and be back soon. He obeyed, thoughtlessly.

Getting at her room he found it was very beautiful, one of the walls painted bright red.

Right by the bed she had three pictures in three different frames. One of her and the girls, one of her and Seiya and one of her and Serena. He got that one and looked at Serena. God, she was beautiful. She was radiant in that picture. Her smile, her eyes, everything about her was so wonderful.

"Since when do you love her?" Raye's voice brought him back to the moment. He didn't even notice her coming back and observing him for a few minutes. Her eyes were filled with tears but she smiled. Her voice was soft when she asked again. "Darien, since when do you love her?"

Darien looked at her feeling deeply ashamed. He had no idea of what to say. He placed the picture back to it's place and looked down, not knowing what to say.

"It's okay Darien… I've noticed you really like her I didn't know you love her…" She sat down by his side, after gently placing the two glasses on top of her nightstand. "She loves Seiya though…even if he doesn't deserve her love."

"I don't love her. Not like this. I love her as a friend. She's special to me. I don't want you to think anything bad, Raye."

"I am not thinking anything bad, Darien. I know how it feels to like someone you can't have." She smiled lightly. "I hope things won't change between you and I. I still like hanging out with you and I know we could go somewhere if we tried."

Darien closed his eyes for a while trying to think. He was a little intoxicated, so it was hard to think. He knew he wanted Serena, but she was madly in love with Seiya from what he had understood. There was no way he could compete with that. In the end, he knew he wasn't made for love. He opened his eyes and saw Raye looking at him. He thought of how she had looked at Seiya and noticed that she knew how he felt. His arm went around her shoulders and he brought her closer to him. He leaned down and kissed her gently.

She kissed him back eagerly. Not because she was dying to kiss him but because she was longing to be kissed with love and passion. She knew Darien couldn't give her much but she didn't care. She was tired of being alone.

She pushed him closer to her, lying in her bed, he lying on top of her. They both had their eyes closed as if they were imagining a whole different situation. They had sex imagining they were with someone completely different.

…

Serena, Seiya, Mina and Yaten got to the girls apartment really late at night. Mina and Yaten stayed in the living room, chatting, while Mina tried really hard to seduce him a little unsuccessfully, since he was really tired, wanting to go to bed.

Serena and Seiya went upstairs to her bedroom. He closed the door behind him and started kissing his girlfriend passionately.

"Wait, wait, hold on!" She said, pushing him away gently. "Not like this, we haven't talked, we had alcohol… and we haven't talked" she repeated herself.

"Babe, I miss you. I don't want to talk right now. There are so many things we could be doing…" He smiled, holding her by her tiny waist.

"Seiya, you've hurt me pretty bad… we need to fix our relationship and…"

"Look, Sere… we are not going to be able to fix anything just now…it's late…" he kissed her "we're tired." He kissed her again "We missed each other." He kissed her once again.

She let herself being kissed and they lied together in the bed, holding each other. He looked at her with desire in his eyes. Still her thoughts navigated to somewhere she had no idea was just next-door.

"I missed every inch of your awesome body, babe. Did you miss me?" She nodded, her mind still caught in Darien.

Seiya was a good lover, she knew, but that night she wasn't into having sex with him. She wasn't feeling the same around him and she thought it could be because they didn't have the talk they needed but she also knew it was because she couldn't keep her mind of Darien.

Seiya fell asleep in her arms and Serena tried her best to fall asleep to. Eventually she did, but as soon as the sun shone again, she woke up.

Feeling thirsty, she headed downstairs to the kitchen.

…

Darien woke up with a mild headache and really thirsty. He looked at Raye, sleeping by his side and hated his guts for having had sex with her. Sure it was good but he knew he could give her what she needed and she wouldn't give him what only Serena could. He put on his pants and walked to the kitchen and got himself some water. When he was closing the refrigerator he heard someone walking in.

Their eyes met and stayed connected for a while. Both wanting to say something but lacking words. The worst part: she looked tempting. It wasn't the time to be thinking about that but he was. She was wearing a big pink t-shirt and really short shorts. Her hair was tight in a messy bun, some locks danced free around her face. He felt like holding her. They stood there, looking at each other, not noticing how close they were.

…

She couldn't help to look at his bare chest. He was muscular, mainly. She had never dated anyone with his body type before – Seiya was slim. She felt like running her hands in his chest, so she could feel if his body was as warm as hers.

She felt her heart beating faster. They could hear each other breathing and she sighted loudly, dreamily.

…

His hands started moving without him even noticing. One had touched her waist, gently. The other hand fixed one of her locks that insisted in being between their gaze. They never stopped looking at each other and whenever they looked into each other's eyes, she would sight without realizing it.

The hand that fixed her hair started to caress her soft face and tracing the details. He narrowed his eyes as if paying attention to what he was doing, as if he was memorizing every detail in her face.

He then jerked away from her, as if realizing what was going on and how dangerous and weird the situation was. She seemed to have realized the same thing. He sight deeply and looked away from her. She did the same and went to get herself a glass of water.

"I'm sorry…I don't know what's going on, I think I'm still drunk." He said after an awkward silence. "I didn't mean to touch you inappropriately." He said.

"You didn't touch me inappropriately, did you?" She smiled, blushing. "You were just fixing my hair, right?"

"Right." He nodded. "So…Seiya's back, huh? That's exciting." He smiled. It was the least sincere smile ever.

"Yeah, really exciting." She said, in a low voice. "I'm happy he's back."

"Of course…" He said, annoyed.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm just worried about you… you were in pain because of him…"

"I know, but we can fix things up. No need to worry about me, I'm a big girl, Darien."

He didn't bother looking at her - his thoughts lost somewhere else.

"Look…I hope you will still let me go with you to your parent's house. I want to be there for you. It's not only because Seiya is back that we cannot still support each other and…"

Darien smiled lightly and hugged her. It was a brief but tight hug.

"Don't worry, Meatball head, I wouldn't dream of going without you. I'll need your support." It amazed him how freely he could admit he needed her support. He wasn't the kind of person who would ask for help. He smiled at her and went back upstairs just to get his stuff. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep in the same bed as other woman now that he fully understood he could not love anyone else. With a sad smile he got fully dressed and left to Andrew's apartment.

_**.:: A/N: PLEASE, don't kill me! I swear everything will work out well. But I am a dramatic person. I like things to go REALLY BAD before they can go REALLY WELL. Next chapter will be full of love and Serena and Darien. Don't hate me. I'll update it soon! And by soon I mean, SOON.**_

_**Pretty V Chan (who's scared of being murdered! XD)::.**_


	6. Chapter 6

**Title: What a new beginning really means**

**Author: PrettyVchan**

_**.:: Hey guys, this is my second fanfic. I hope you guys enjoy. It's fairly different from the first one since this one is A/U. Please make sure check out my fic "In Joy and Sorrow". **_

_**Chapter 6 – Being with you**_

"Don't worry, Meatball head, I wouldn't dream of going without you. I'll need your support." It amazed him how freely he could admit he needed her support. He wasn't the kind of person who would ask for help. He smiled at her and went back upstairs just to get his stuff. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep in the same bed as other woman now that he fully understood he could not love anyone else. With a sad smile he got fully dressed and left to Andrew's apartment.

…..

Darien went straight back to bed. He had the worst headache and his whole body was tense. He tried his best to go back to sleep but his thoughts were in the girl was with just minutes ago.

He had never felt like this about anyone. He had never felt closeness, never felt like he truly needed anyone. What was wrong with him? He knew now: he loved Serena since the day they reconnected. It couldn't be anything but love since his mind, his body and his heart reacted to her in a way he couldn't explain. The fact that he had never fell in love with anyone was what he needed to make sure it was love.

After a really long time trying hard to fall back asleep he decided to go out for a jog and maybe that would help him not to think about those amazing bright blue eyes that haunted him.

Back from his jog he heard laugh voices and laughter coming from the kitchen and even before he opened the door he could smell something really good coming from inside. He opened the door to meet Andrew in his boxers and Lita cooking, wearing Andrew's shirt and her pants. They seemed to be having a really great time until they noticed Darien. Andrew blushed and Lita just glared at the men.

"Oh, hi Dare…I…hum…thought you didn't sleep here…" Said Andrew

"Good Morning, Drew. You're right, I didn't sleep here, but I got back not too long ago." He smiled gently to his friend, trying to ignore Lita's angry expression.

"So, you spent the night with Raye…we saw you leaving together…how was it?" Andrew smiled and winked.

"It was nice. We went to her apartment and had a few drinks, she's a nice girl." That was Darien's response, not daring to look at Lita.

"Why don't you just move there already?" The girl said, clenching her teeth.

Andrew blinked and looked confused at her.

'Why don't you mind your own business?' Darien thought, but took a deep breath and begun walking to his bedroom.

"Hold on Mister, I am not done talking with you! First you spend the night with Serena then you don't tell Raye about it but spend the night with her as well. They already have their problems, you can't just come here and make things worse for them!" Lita screamed.

Darien took a really deep breath and looked at her. He responded in his most soft and controlled voice.

"I am aware of their problems and I have no intention to make anything worse. And don't worry; I would never break anyone's heart. Now would you excuse me and let me go shower?" He was losing is patience.

"Go ahead." She gritted.

….

Serena woke up again, hours later, to the sound of music coming from downstairs. Seiya wasn't by her side and looking at the time, she wondered if he went back home. It was already 3 p.m. She showered then changed into went downstairs to meet her roommates, Amy and the Threelights hanging out. Mina was dancing and when she saw Serena she jumped to her friend and pulled her close to herself.

"Hey Sere! Good morning! I mean, afternoon! I'm so excited we're all here like old times, except for Lita and Andy, but that's for a great cause!" She winked. "Come dance!"

Serena smiled to her friend but she didn't feel like dancing or celebrating anything really. Seiya came to her and hugged her tight.

"There you are! I thought about taking you out to dinner, would you be up to it?" He looked at her with puppy eyes and she had do smile.

"I guess I would like to have dinner with you." And then she got serious. "But we have to talk, a long and serious talk. No seducing me and distracting me this time, Mr." Seiya frowned.

"Well I guess I don't have a choice." He smiled nervously. "We'll talk over dinner then. Is that okay?" He held her chin and placed a gentle kiss in her lips.

She nodded, smiling, and walked away, to the kitchen, to make a sandwiche. And then she noticed Raye, who was sitting in a stool at the kitchen, looking tired and upset. Her heart felt like it was shrinking. She hated to see her in pain but they weren't getting along lately, she hesitated in say something.

Their eyes met and they stayed like that for a long time, not really knowing what to say.

"Raye…I…"

"Don't say anything Serena. I am sorry I am being such a bitch to you recently." She stood up.

"Well…I just don't get it. What did I do to make you hate me so much?" Serena asked bluntly.

Raye smiled softly.

"I do not hate you. I would never be able hate you, Serena. I can't tell you anything, because it's too complicated for me and I'm not good with this kind of thing but…I cannot stand the way things are between us now so let's just try our best to make things better. And I promise you, I will try my best not to be rude to you anymore." She placed a hand in Serena's shoulder. "Again, I'm sorry." And she left the kitchen.

Serena fixed her sandwich and ate it all in a minute since she was starving. When she went back to the living room, her friends were talking but she missed Seiya and Raye. She figured her friend would be upstairs in her room and her boyfriend would be napping or showering.

She went straight to Amy and hugged her friend affectionately.

"Hey Sere! I guessed you didn't really talked to us because you were too hungry." Amy smiled softly.

"You guessed right" Serena smiled back and then said "hi" to Taiki and Yaten.

"Hey Serena! Did you enjoy the party last night?" Asked the always-polite Taiki.

"Most likely she enjoyed the after-party!" Yaten smirked.

Serena blushed. "How about you? I could hear you and Mina from my room all the way across the hall." Mina slapped Serena's shoulder, embarrassed. Yaten rolled his eyes. He didn't even slept with Mina last night since he was too tired. She was more of a friend than anything else.

"You're terrible!" Mina said. "Anyway, did you hear from Lita this morning? I wonder if she's still at Andrew's."

Serena's mind immediately went to Darien. She wondered if he would come back tonight to take Raye for another date, after spending the night with her friend. She felt sad with this idea.

"About that… what the hell happened? I thought he liked you, Mina." Amy whispered the last part so Yaten wouldn't hear it. He and Andrew didn't get along all that well even though they respected each other. Plus, all the girls always thought that Mina and Yaten were an item, since their blonde friend never denied it.

"Well, we've been hanging out a lot and I convinced him to give Lita a chance. I guessed he was moved by the fact that she threw him a party and the fact that I rejected him…" Again, the last part was whispered.

They spent the rest of the afternoon talking and hanging out, while Serena tried her best not to think about Darien. Around 5 p.m. Lita showed up, a huge grin in her lips. She simply looked at her friends and made a "V" sign with her fingers.

All the girls gathered around Lita, eager to her what happened while the boys were talking to each other. Raye was back already.

"So? Tell us! EVERY SINGLE DETAIL!" Asked Mina.

"Gross, Mina! I don't want to know all the details." Said Amy.

"Just the highlights, then!" Raye smiled, mischievously.

And Lita told the girls all about how she and Andrew had a long talk about their feelings for each other and his feelings about Mina, that he admitted he thought Lita was cute but felt intimidated by her strong personality, and they decided to try to see where things would go. Serena's heart felt fuzzy and warm to realize it had been a long time since they all hung out without either her or Raye storming out, yelling at each other.

"And that's it. He and Darien went out to dinner and I came her to tell you guys everything."

Lita couldn't help but notice that both Raye and Serena frowned to the sound of his name.

…..

"So, aren't you going to tell me how did things go with Raye last night?" Asked Andrew having a sip of his drink.

"I don't see how that's a relevant information." Asked Darien, coolly.

"C'mon Dare…are you dating exclusively now? I mean you obviously had sex last night, right? I guess everyone did. Wow, Lita really knows how to throw a party."

"You know that I don't talk about my sexual life. Besides, what to you mean by 'we all had sex'?"

"You know…me and Lita" he smiled "Amy and Taiki – they think they can deceive anyone with the 'we're just talking about books and art' talk… - Mina and that asshole, Yaten…oh yeah, Serena and Seiya."

Suddenly the idea of Serena and Seiya having sex popped in his mind and he felt like he was about to throw up. He felt anger burning inside of him.

"What's up with that face?" Asked Andrew, casually.

"What…? Oh…nothing. I just dislike that Seiya guy. He's clearly hurting Serena."

"A piece of advice: don't go there. It's fat too complicated to being to understand. Seiya liked Serena for a while, but I have the impression that he's just holding on to her because of what he felt in the past. I think that he's conflicted so he ends up hurting her. He's very emotionally immature. I don't think he's a bad guy. I just feel like he's kind of lost."

That was Andrew. He had this annoying way of trying to analyze everyone and trying to figure people out. Maybe that was why he was a friend of Darien; because he could see beneath he's cold exterior. No wonder he and Serena were such great friends.

…..

Seiya and Serena went out for food. He made sure to take her to a small, private place so they wouldn't be disturbed. The place was reserved for the couple. Serena was still getting used to his new lifestyle even though he had been a star for a few months now.

The food was served by a really elegant waiter who left as soon as Seiya indicated him to.

"Okay, now we can talk." He sounded nervous. Serena was also very nervous; she didn't know how to start the conversation or what she really wanted to say.

"Seiya, I… I don't get you, honestly. How can you treat me like shit when your away and just come back and treat me like a princess, as if nothing had happened." She said, the words going faster than her thoughts.

"I'm sorry Serena, I thought I should make up to you. I know I acted a little weird and…"

"A little weird? You didn't call, you only talked about you when you did, you got drunk… yes, I know you got drunk, I know because Yaten kept Mina informed and Taiki also told Amy a few things. And you acted so cold towards me. It hurts so badly. Now you're back and you act like nothing happened…like we had a minor problem. I don't get it."

Seiya took a deep breath.

"I know. I apologize for my behavior. I get lonely during tour and I feel like drinking and… I don't know what happens to me. But when I'm with you I feel like it's the right thing. I promise I'll try to be a better boyfriend to you…"

"It's like Raye have been right all this time and I just couldn't see it…" Serena said it mostly to herself.

"Raye is a fucking bitch!" He snapped, pissed. She looked at him surprised. "The girl is crazy, okay? Don't take what she says in consideration. She doesn't want me to be happy. She is driving me insane!"

"Hold on a second, aren't you and Raye supposed to be really close? Why are you talking like that about her?" Serena asked, really confused.

"Nothing…she's just… too annoying for her own good, and she thinks she knows me better then I know myself. She just wants to tell me what to do and I am not going to put up with this anymore." He was feeling bitter.

"Seiya… sometimes I feel like I don't know you. I thought we had shared everything but I realized that…we're not in the same page. I don't feel like we really know each other that well…"

"Come on Serena, you're just overreacting now. Of course I know you well. And you know me too."

"No, I don't. I have no idea of what your life is like when I'm not around, I don't get your relationship with Raye, I don't get why she changed so much since we started to date and I don't get why YOU changed so much when we started to date. We used to be really close, you've been attentive since I was what? Fourteen? And now you have me and it's like…the only thing you wanted was to make sure I was yours, but now you don't make an effort to keep me. It's like I was good as a conquer."

"What a bunch of nonsense! You shouldn't live with Raye, you're sounding just like her." He snapped again.

"I don't want to finish this dinner with you, Seiya. In fact, I need a break. I need to figure out if I want to be in a relationship with you. Actually, I want to find out how much you really love me." She said, angrily.

"Fine! Don't expect me to beg for your love again, Serena! I waited too fucking long to have you. If that isn't enough of a proof that I love you…"

"No, it isn't. I'm going to go now, Seiya, you do as you please." Serena left before he could register her last words. She was enraged, hurt, and worse: she felt like she was right. He wasn't in love with her anymore. The Seiya she knew in the past would do anything to be with her.

…..

Monday was a really busy day. Darien spent hours working at the hospital where he ran into Amy, briefly. The girl seemed more excited than usual and he thought about what Andrew told her about she having a relationship with Taiki but he thought it could be a little indiscrete to ask about it. He felt good for Amy, though. Soon his mind was too busy with adjusting with his new job to have time to think about it.

He felt good that, for once, his mind wasn't obsessing about Serena all day but he still missed her very much. He kept thinking about the moments they've shared… it felt so intense without even doing anything. He couldn't help but wonder if it would feel wonderful to be with her. He knew it would.

As he got home, he saw something he didn't expect to see. Raye was sitting in Andrew's couch, looking serious. He felt immediately bad. He felt so guilty about sleeping with her that he didn't even know what to do. They didn't contact each other the day before and that made him feel like a jerk. He wondered if she would yell at him.

"I'm sorry" She broke the silence "Andy let me in, he went out, but he told me I could wait for you here. I hope you're not mad at me."

"Not at all." He didn't know what else to do but to sit in the chair by her.

"I just came here because…I think we made things worse by having sex." She blushed to that. "I also wanted to tell you that… we should stop seeing each other. We're basically lying to ourselves and that's not good to anyone. It's unfair to us. I thought that maybe we should try a little bit more but now I see it's a stupid idea." She smiled lightly but her eyes are sad.

Darien listened to every word she said carefully, a little relieved that she didn't seem to blame him for anything.

"Look…I like you a lot… I like spending time with you. I don't want us to stop being friends." He said frankly.

She smiled. "I know… I like you too. I thought that it could become love or something similar, but I guess I simply like you as my friend. I think I was drawn to your melancholy. I thought that maybe we could understand each other and that it would develop into something deeper but that would be wrong. We can't deny our true feelings." She was really serious.

"Thank you for talking to me Raye."

"No problem." She smiled lightly but then frowned again. "Before I leave…you must know that…Serena is not doing really well, she may need you. You seem to be the closest person to her lately. If you could stop by our school tomorrow… I doubt she's going to have lunch at Andy's…" She sighted. "I must go now."

She left quickly and Darien stood there, puzzled, wondered what could have happened to Serena.

…..

Serena was feeling extremely depressed. It was hard to drag herself out of the bed and go to school. She had spent the rest of the evening on Sunday and the whole day on Monday avoiding everyone. The girls knew that when she'd get this way it was something about Seiya so they tried not to interfere. They would most likely end up getting back together.

The worst part was that she felt worse because she didn't miss Seiya that much. No. She missed Darien. For some reason since Seiya got back she felt unsure of whether she should contact him, hang out with him, and she didn't know exactly why she was feeling this way. She also thought that if she spent time alone with Darien she would do something she could regret. She would break Raye's heart and her own heart. She thought that Darien wouldn't be able to like someone like her.

You can imagine that for her it was a huge surprise to see that man standing outside her school's door. He was wearing a black long sleeve shirt, dark pants and looked breath taking. She suddenly forgot all about being depressed and couldn't help but smile.

…..

Darien saw that smile and couldn't help but to smile himself. She looked amazing when she smiled. He felt tempted to hold her but controlled himself. He wondered if he would ever be able to just hold her whenever he felt like doing it.

"Hey, Meatball Head."

"Hey, Darien. Good to see you." She said shyly, but honestly. "Did you come her to pick Raye up?" She asked trying to hide some sadness.

"Nope. I came here because I heard you're not doing well. I wanted to take you out for lunch but I have to be at work really soon, so I will just drive you wherever you want to go." He hesitated to continue "We had plans to go to my parents house tonight, did you forget about that?" She nodded 'no'. "But if you're not doing well, I don't want to bug you with my problems."

She smiled feeling like she would melt. He didn't come here to see Raye; he'd come here to see her because she wasn't doing well. She would bet that Amy told him about it.

He had come here even if it meant that he could get late for work.

"So, are you coming with me Meatball?" He asked apprehensively.

"Ok, I will. I still owe you so I am going to your parent's house with you, don't you worry." She smiled. "Plus, it would be cool to spend time together." She blushed.

His heart was filled with happiness by her response. He didn't want to go to his parent's house before but now he looked forward to it. 'Oh boy, it's going to be a loooong day.'

He opened his car door to her and let her in. He then got in the car and looked at her.

"So, where to, Meatball Head?"

"My apartment! I'm tired and I have homework."

He frowned a little bit because her apartment was close to the school. He would love to hear her saying "to the moon" or somewhere really far just so he could have her with him longer.

"Ok then." He smiled and started driving. "What's wrong Serena? People are worried about you…I thought…" Again hesitation "I thought you were doing well since Seiya got back."

"Well, you know how things are…relationships are complicated…but we're not together, at least for now." She didn't want to ruin their moment talking about Seiya.

"I guess." He responded, still driving, heart jumping to the idea she wasn't with Seiya anymore.

They rode in silence for a while.

"I appreciate you coming with me. I am really nervous." He looked at her.

"No problem. I wouldn't let you go by yourself." She smiled softly.

"Thank you… well, we're here."

She looked disappointed.

"Thanks for the drive. Should I meet you at your parents?"

"No, I will pick you up. Be ready by 6:30. Is that okay?"

"Sure."

…

She couldn't decide what to wear. It felt like she was going out on a date. She tried a whole bunch of clothes before settling for a white cotton shirt with laced sleeves and a delicate light pink skirt hitting her mid tight. He hair was up in a ponytail and she wondered if Darien liked it better when it was down.

At 6:30 she heard the doorbell and there he was, wearing different clothes and smelling really well. She blushed with the idea that he had got home and got dressed just for her but then she realized it must've been because he wanted to feel fresh.

She was right; he did dressed up just to see her. And she looked really good too. She looked innocent and seductive all at the same time.

They spoke trivialities but both of them were too nervous to really talk to each other. They had a weird tension between them.

As they approached the mansion, Serena couldn't believe her eyes. No wonder it was the biggest mansion in the whole state. It was huge. Enormous. The mansion had giant garden with thousands of beautiful roses, statues, even a small lake and a bridge. It was an amazing view.

The mansion was very well guarded, but no one really asked Darien who he was or what he was doing here. Obviously, everyone knew who he was. It was just like it was the most normal thing to have him there.

She noticed that Darien looked nervous. He looked really tense.

…

Darien opened the door to let her out and walked her through the garden. He could see her eyes shining to each new and wonderful thing she was seeing. He was surprised, since he hadn't been home in so long, he didn't remember all the details of that mansion. He was sure he didn't know most of the security people and yet no one questioned what he was doing there.

He walked her to the door and took a deep breath. He opened the door.

A really old man, wearing impeccable clothes, greeted them. He was a bit surprised to see that someone was there.

"Mr. Shields, it is an honor to see you." The man was really moved.

That man used to work in that mansion since god-knows-when. He was like a grandfather to Darien. He was a good man, a good housekeeper, and a good friend to his dad. The only person who would put up with his dad's nonsense. Darien was moved himself to know that he'd recognized him.

"Oh please, Allan, no need to call me Mr. Shields." He hugged the old man. "It is great to see you again." He said honestly. "This is my friend Serena." He introduced the girl.

Allan took the girl's hand and kissed it, gently. "It is an honor to meet you, Ms. Serena."

"I thought I told you on the phone that you didn't need to be here, you could go home." Darien said, confused of why the old men would still be there. "You don't have to work here anymore, there's no one living here anyway."

"How can I go home? This is my home. I've been living here for years serving your family. And until you decide what you should do with this place, I shall not live. It is my job to keep the house spotless, sir." He smiled gently. "Also, as you told me you would come, I took the liberty to made sure you would have dinner, and breakfast if you decide to stay longer. I didn't know you had company but I know have enough food. Would you like to eat something, sir?"

"No, thank you. I appreciate your effort. We're not staying too long, Allan. I just want to see what I still have here and make some decisions it shall not take long. Thank you, anyway."

"You do as you please, sir. Now excuse me. Let me know if there's anything I can do for you." He said goodbye and left.

He noticed that Serena was still impressed with how big the house was, since she was looking around, curiously.

"Should I take you for a tour?" He smiled and held her hand, making her blush.

"Sure, sir." She smiled, showing her tongue. "Sometimes I forget you're powerful and stuff."

He smirked "You better be good to me then, Meatball Head." His voice sounded deep.

She felt as if that commented had ignited something inside of her but she didn't say anything, she just blushed again.

He took her to the whole first floor, showing her the huge kitchen, the dinning room, the tea room, and some other useless rooms he didn't even understood why they had them.

Moving to the second floor, he showed her the beautiful library. She did like to read beautiful novels, especially the romantic ones, but thought that Amy would really like coming over since they seemed to own every book on the planet.

Darien agreed and asked her not to let him forget to bring Amy over sometime.

He showed his father's room, which was dark and seemed to belong to someone really unhappy, and then showed the guest rooms – they had several. Only two rooms to see. One he new it could only be Darien's. The next one she wasn't sure what was.

He hesitated before going to his old room. It would be painful to get in.

"You can do it." He heard her soft voice saying and that filled his body with courage. He opened the door and saw it exactly the way he had left when he went to Europe.

He felt a lot of emotions at the same time. He felt guilt, sadness, and loneliness. He walked in to his study desk, across his bed. There a picture of a woman and a little boy rested. His mom and him. He hadn't seen any of his mom's portraits in a really long time. He felt lost looking at that beautiful woman smiling largely days before she passed away. He looked so happy in that picture. So full of love.

"Is that your mom?" A timid voice asked by his side. He looked at Serena; her eyes were full of tears.

"Yes. Yes, that's my mom." He smiled softly. "Why are you crying?" He touched her face softly, and caressed it gently.

"Because it's beautiful. The way you look at her is just beautiful. And because you're crying." She replied. He then realized that he had tears in his eyes. They were rolling down his face. Serena's fingers touched him, brushing away his tears. They looked at each other in the eyes.

"I couldn't do it without you." He whispered. "Thank you."

She looked at him, his hands still in her face, and her hands still in his. Without even thinking of what she was doing she placed a kiss in his cheek, gently, to soothe him.

He couldn't take it any longer. The second her lips touched his face, he brought her close to him by his waist with one hand and the other hand went to her neck. He pressed his lips against hers gently. It was supposed to be gentle at least. As soon as their lips touched he felt his whole body trembling and deepened the kiss turning it into a passionate one.

His heart was full of emotions. In a short period of time he was taken by all different emotions and memories. He knew he would never have shared a tear in front of someone he could fully trust and he knew he couldn't share such an intimate moment with anyone else but her.

The kiss was explosive. It was that kiss he had waited for. He could not/didn't want to breathe. He didn't want any space between them, any space between their lips.

He pulled her even closer to him and as she responded by stroking her fingers through his hair he, thoughtlessly, started caressing the side of her body, already feeling like he belonged there.

After a few minutes spent like this, Darien broke the kiss, slowly. She looked at him, confused.

"Did I do anything wrong, Darien?" She asked.

"No you most certainly didn't" He responded, softly. "Come here." He said, guiding her to his bed, where she sat. He sat by her side and looked at her, caressing her beautiful face.

"I am sorry, Serena. I just don't want you to think I brought you here to do that and…" She interrupted him with a soft kiss.

"I am not thinking anything." She said in a low and – he wasn't sure if she realized it – seductively voice.

"Serena, I just want to tell you that I couldn't share this moment with anyone. Ever. Which means that you are…really important to me." He felt unsure of how to continue, but her frowning made him almost panic.

"Darien…what are we doing…you have Raye…" She said as if she'd just realized it.

"No Serena." He held her hand. "I am not with Raye. We are no longer seeing each other… and it is because of you."

"Oh God…I feel terrible…Darien, I have Seiya – I mean, we're not together but all the history and all the complications and… - Raye must be pissed at me." Serena pulled the Serena and kept talking and talking. It was Darien's time to interrupt her with a kiss.

"She broke up with me, because she knew, even before I did, that I want you. Please, trust me, she's not mad at you. She was the one who opened my eyes." He pulled Serena closer. "I want you to please allow me the chance to enjoy this moment with you."

He brought her to look at him. "Serena, this is a really important time in my life. I would never share this with anyone. I would never bring anyone else here to be with me in such an important moment for me. I don't care about anyone else right now or any history. I just want to be here, with you. Please don't go now."

The way he said that was just so intense and honest that Serena could not just leave. She didn't want to, she knew that.

Gently, his lips took possession of her own and she didn't care about anything other than kissing him.

He pulled her body closer to his, and kissed her intensely. She responded the same way, which encouraged him to place warm, kisses on her neck. His lips touched her ear lobe and he whispered, huskily. "I can't get enough of you."

That took her breath away and she melted under his wonderful kisses. His hand caressed her tights, gently but still possessively. The other hand slowly begun to move her shirt up. She didn't protest it; he then just took her shirt off and placed his hands on her breasts, over her bra. It felt soft and good but he wanted to get rid of it. He gently did and stopped kissing her to admire her beauty making her blush. Her breasts were round and beautiful. He touched them to feel the softness and warmth of them and couldn't resist but to taste them. She moaned to the touch of his lips on her nips and smiled. She never felt so good with anyone playing with them like that before.

He took his time playing with her beautiful breasts. They were too soft and wonderful to forget. Serena lied down on his bed and looked at him, she was too sexy for her own good. She smiled, fiery.

"Won't you finish undressing me?" Her voice sounded too damn seductive. He groaned and took her skirt out, leaving her in her underwear.

He got rid of his own shirt then his pants and positioned himself between her legs. Her hands dancing though his body, feeling his muscular chest.

His groan rubbing against her softness. This contact alone made him feel like exploding.

She held himself closer to her and instinctively crossed her legs on his back, starting to rub herself against his hardness. She felt hot when he moaned.

Darien didn't think twice and got rid of his underwear. He smiled to notice her eyes impressed by his size. Slowly he begun to get rid of her panties, looked at her, eyes darkened with desire. 'She was a beautiful vision' he thought, before placing herself in between her legs again. He slid himself inside of her, a slow, warm rhythm, trying to be gentle and romantic, although he was burning with desire. They enjoyed it for a while gradually fastening the pace. His eyes were locked in hers; he tried to enjoy every single reacting of her body. Without much warning she rolled them both, placing herself on top of him. The vision was really erotic to him, her breasts bouncing up and down, as she was going fast. He couldn't take it anymore and when she reached her release, he did it too, feeling like he had just conquered the world. Serena merely fell over him, and they stayed like that, holding each other for a while, before he delicately rolled her back to bed, lying by his side, but still holding her tight.

Their eyes were fixed in each other's and even if they wanted to say something, they didn't have words to express what had just happened. All they wanted to do was to hold each other and never let go of that embrace.

He felt like he was born to be in that woman's arms.

_**.::A/N: Long, loooong chapter. I was planning to update the other fanfic but somehow I decided to update this one. I hope you guys like it. Any ideas about what could happen with Raye and Seiya? **_

_**Love your reviews, they make me really happy and give me motivation to write.**_

_**Pretty V Chan::.**_


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